Overview#
An analyst includes a link to a key evidence file in a printed briefing document. The full platform URL is 180 characters long and wraps across two lines. She generates a short URL instead: a compact, readable link that fits on one line and redirects to the correct destination. When the briefing window closes, she deactivates the short URL so that the link stops working without deleting the record. The Short URL domain handles this simple but practical need: URL shortening with optional descriptions, active/inactive control, and usage tracking for shared links within the platform.
Key Features#
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URL Shortening: Convert long platform URLs into compact, easy-to-share short links that redirect to the original destination.
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Link Descriptions: Add optional descriptions to short URLs for organisational context, making it easy to identify the purpose of each link.
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Active/Inactive Management: Enable or disable short URLs as needed to control access without deleting the link record, supporting temporary sharing scenarios.
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Link Tracking: Monitor short URL usage to understand how shared links are being accessed and by whom.
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Programmable API Access: Create, manage, and query short URLs through a structured API for integration with other platform workflows and automated link generation.
Use Cases#
Short URL management is useful anywhere that long platform links need to appear in print, notifications, or communications with character limits. Relevant industries include law enforcement, legal services, and enterprise operations.
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Evidence Sharing: Create short URLs for evidence items that need to be shared in reports, emails, or printed materials where long URLs are impractical.
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Report Distribution: Generate compact links for investigation reports and summaries that are easy to include in briefing documents and communications.
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Temporary Access: Create short URLs with the ability to deactivate them after a sharing window closes, providing simple access control for time-limited distribution.
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Communication Efficiency: Use short URLs in notifications, alerts, and messages where character limits or readability make long URLs impractical.
Integration#
The Short URL domain supports link management across the platform:
- Evidence Management: Generate shareable links for evidence items
- Reporting: Include compact URLs in generated reports
- Sharing: Short URLs complement the secure sharing framework
- Notifications: Alert messages include short URLs for quick access
Open Standards#
- RFC 3986 (URI Generic Syntax): Target URLs are validated by parsing the scheme and authority (netloc) components in strict accordance with the URI syntax defined in RFC 3986, and only URLs whose domain matches an explicit allowlist are accepted.
- HTTP Semantics (RFC 9110), redirect pattern: The resolve endpoint returns the target URL so that the calling layer (a Cloudflare Worker) can issue a standard HTTP redirect response; access-count tracking is incremented on each valid resolution, consistent with HTTP link-following behaviour.
- RFC 4122 (UUID): Every short URL record is assigned a version-4 UUID as its primary identifier, ensuring globally unique, collision-resistant record keys.
- GraphQL (June 2018 specification): The domain exposes full create/read/update/delete operations through a typed GraphQL schema (queries and mutations), implemented via the Strawberry library and composed into the platform's shared GraphQL gateway.
- OpenAPI Specification 3.x: The REST management router is built on FastAPI, which auto-generates an OpenAPI 3.x document from the endpoint definitions and Pydantic request/response schemas, enabling standard tooling integration.
- OAuth 2.0 / JSON Web Token, RFC 6749 / RFC 7519: Authenticated management endpoints enforce bearer-token access control via the platform's JWT middleware; the public resolve endpoint intentionally bypasses this gate to allow unauthenticated redirects.
- ISO 8601 (datetime format): Expiration timestamps are accepted and serialised using ISO 8601 format via Python's
datetime.fromisoformat()and.isoformat(), ensuring interoperable date/time exchange across API consumers.
Last Reviewed: 2026-02-05 Last Updated: 2026-04-14