Documentation — ShareCD

Overview

ShareCD is an enterprise-grade link delivery infrastructure service that provides secure, verified 301 redirects for content distribution. Operating as part of the Clients Drive system, ShareCD facilitates encrypted, transparent routing from sharecd.com URLs to destination content with full analytics and monitoring.

This documentation covers everything you need to integrate ShareCD into your applications, from basic link creation to advanced API usage and webhook integrations.

Enterprise Features

99.9% uptime SLA · TLS 1.3 encryption · SOC 2 Type II certified · Real-time analytics · Custom domains · Webhook support

Quick Start

Get started with ShareCD in minutes. This guide walks you through creating your first link and tracking engagement.

Step 1: Generate API Key

Contact support@clients.ai to request API access credentials.

Step 2: Create Your First Link

POST https://api.sharecd.com/v1/links
Content-Type: application/json
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

{
  "destination": "https://example.com/content",
  "slug": "example-link",
  "metadata": {
    "campaign": "summer-2025",
    "source": "email"
  }
}

Step 3: Use Your Link

Share your link: https://sharecd.com/example-link

When clicked, ShareCD will verify the link, log analytics data, and redirect to your destination with a 301 permanent redirect.

Authentication

ShareCD uses API keys to authenticate requests. Include your API key in the Authorization header with Bearer authentication.

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY_HERE

Security Best Practice

Never expose API keys in client-side code or public repositories. Store keys securely as environment variables and rotate them periodically.

API Key Types

Type	Prefix	Use Case
Live	sk_live_	Production environment
Test	sk_test_	Development and testing

Link Management

ShareCD links are permanent 301 redirects from sharecd.com URLs to your destination content. Each link can include custom slugs, metadata, and tracking parameters.

Link Anatomy

https://sharecd.com/your-custom-slug
                          │         │             │
                          │         │             └─ Custom identifier (optional)
                          │         └─ ShareCD domain
                          └─ HTTPS protocol (enforced)

Link Properties

Property	Type	Description
id	string	Unique link identifier
destination	string	Target URL (must be valid HTTPS)
slug	string	Custom URL path (optional)
metadata	object	Custom key-value data
created_at	timestamp	Creation time (ISO 8601)
clicks	integer	Total click count

301 Redirects

ShareCD uses HTTP 301 (Permanent Redirect) status codes for all link redirects. This ensures proper SEO handling and browser caching while maintaining full analytics tracking.

Redirect Flow

User clicks sharecd.com/example-link
ShareCD receives request
Verifies link exists and is active
Logs engagement data (IP, user agent, timestamp)
Returns 301 redirect to destination
User arrives at destination content
Analytics available via API

Performance

Average redirect latency: < 50ms. All redirects are served from globally distributed edge nodes for maximum speed.

Analytics & Tracking

Every link click is tracked with detailed engagement data. Access analytics via API to understand link performance, user behavior, and campaign effectiveness.

Tracked Data Points

Data Point	Description	Privacy
timestamp	Click time (UTC)	Always collected
ip_address	Anonymized IP (last octet removed)	Anonymized
user_agent	Browser and device information	Standard web logging
referrer	Source page URL	Standard HTTP header
location	Country and region (derived from IP)	Approximate only

GDPR Compliant

All analytics data collection complies with GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy regulations. Users can request data deletion via privacy@clients.ai.

Link Verification

Every ShareCD link is verified before redirect to ensure security, prevent abuse, and maintain service integrity.

Verification Checks

Link exists in database
Destination URL is valid HTTPS
Link is not expired or deactivated
Rate limits not exceeded
No malicious content detected
Compliance with Terms of Service

API Overview

The ShareCD API is a RESTful API that accepts JSON-encoded request bodies and returns JSON-encoded responses. All API requests must be made over HTTPS.

Base URL

https://api.sharecd.com/v1

API Versioning

The ShareCD API uses URL-based versioning. Current version: v1. We maintain backward compatibility and provide advance notice of breaking changes.

Request Headers

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
Content-Type: application/json
Accept: application/json

Links API

POST /v1/links

Create a new link

Creates a new ShareCD link with optional custom slug and metadata.

Request Body

{
  "destination": "https://example.com/content",
  "slug": "custom-slug",
  "metadata": {
    "campaign": "spring-2025",
    "source": "newsletter"
  }
}

Response

{
  "id": "lnk_1a2b3c4d5e6f",
  "url": "https://sharecd.com/custom-slug",
  "destination": "https://example.com/content",
  "slug": "custom-slug",
  "metadata": {
    "campaign": "spring-2025",
    "source": "newsletter"
  },
  "created_at": "2025-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "clicks": 0
}

GET /v1/links/:id

Retrieve a link

Retrieves details for a specific link including current click count.

GET /v1/links

List all links

Returns a paginated list of all links in your account.

Query Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
limit	integer	Number of results (max 100)
offset	integer	Pagination offset

DELETE /v1/links/:id

Delete a link

Permanently deletes a link. This action cannot be undone.

Analytics API

GET /v1/analytics/:link_id

Get link analytics

Retrieves detailed analytics for a specific link.

Query Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
start_date	string	Start date (ISO 8601)
end_date	string	End date (ISO 8601)
granularity	string	hour, day, week, month

Response

{
  "link_id": "lnk_1a2b3c4d5e6f",
  "total_clicks": 1247,
  "unique_clicks": 892,
  "time_series": [
    {"date": "2025-01-15", "clicks": 45},
    {"date": "2025-01-16", "clicks": 67}
  ],
  "countries": {
    "US": 512,
    "CA": 203,
    "UK": 156
  },
  "referrers": {
    "twitter.com": 423,
    "linkedin.com": 278,
    "direct": 546
  }
}

Webhooks

Webhooks allow you to receive real-time notifications when events occur on your links. Configure webhook endpoints to receive HTTP POST requests for click events.

Supported Events

Event	Description
link.clicked	Triggered when a link is clicked
link.created	Triggered when a new link is created
link.deleted	Triggered when a link is deleted

Webhook Payload Example

{
  "event": "link.clicked",
  "timestamp": "2025-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "data": {
    "link_id": "lnk_1a2b3c4d5e6f",
    "destination": "https://example.com/content",
    "ip_address": "192.168.1.xxx",
    "user_agent": "Mozilla/5.0...",
    "referrer": "https://twitter.com",
    "country": "US"
  }
}

Webhook Security

Verify webhook signatures using the X-ShareCD-Signature header to ensure requests originate from ShareCD.

SDKs & Libraries

Official SDKs available for popular programming languages. All libraries are open source and maintained by the ShareCD team.

Node.js

npm install @sharecd/node

Python

pip install sharecd

Ruby

gem install sharecd

Go

go get github.com/sharecd/go

Node.js Example

const ShareCD = require('@sharecd/node');

const client = new ShareCD('sk_live_...');

// Create a link
const link = await client.links.create({
  destination: 'https://example.com/content',
  slug: 'my-link'
});

console.log(link.url); // https://sharecd.com/my-link

Custom Domains

Enterprise customers can use custom domains for branded link experience (e.g., go.yourbrand.com). Contact support@clients.ai for setup assistance.

DNS Configuration

Record Type	Name	Value
CNAME	go.yourbrand.com	custom.sharecd.com

Free SSL Certificate

ShareCD automatically provisions and renews SSL certificates for all custom domains at no additional cost.

Rate Limits

API requests are rate limited to ensure service reliability and fair usage. Rate limits are applied per API key.

Tier	Requests/Second	Requests/Hour
Standard	10	10,000
Enterprise	100	100,000

Rate Limit Headers

X-RateLimit-Limit: 10000
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 9456
X-RateLimit-Reset: 1642251600

Rate Limit Exceeded

When rate limit is exceeded, API returns 429 Too Many Requests. Implement exponential backoff for retries.

Error Codes

ShareCD uses conventional HTTP response codes to indicate success or failure of API requests.

Code	Status	Description
200	OK	Request successful
201	Created	Resource created successfully
400	Bad Request	Invalid request parameters
401	Unauthorized	Invalid or missing API key
404	Not Found	Resource does not exist
429	Too Many Requests	Rate limit exceeded
500	Internal Server Error	ShareCD server error

Error Response Format

{
  "error": {
    "type": "invalid_request",
    "message": "Missing required parameter: destination",
    "param": "destination",
    "code": "parameter_missing"
  }
}

Security Overview

ShareCD implements enterprise-grade security controls across all layers of infrastructure. Visit our Security page for complete details.

Security Features

TLS 1.3 encryption for all connections
256-bit AES encryption at rest
Web Application Firewall (WAF)
DDoS protection and rate limiting
24/7 security monitoring
Automated security patching
Regular penetration testing
Incident response procedures

Encryption

All ShareCD traffic is encrypted using industry-standard protocols. Data is encrypted both in transit and at rest.

Layer	Protocol	Strength
Transport	TLS 1.3	Perfect forward secrecy
Data at Rest	AES-256-GCM	Military-grade encryption
Backups	AES-256	Encrypted backups

Compliance

ShareCD maintains compliance with major security standards and privacy regulations.

SOC 2 Type II

Annual third-party security audits verifying our controls and procedures.

ISO 27001

Information security management system certification.

GDPR

Full compliance with European Union data protection requirements.

CCPA

California Consumer Privacy Act compliance.

Best Practices

Follow these recommendations for optimal ShareCD integration.

API Key Management

Never commit API keys to source control
Use environment variables for key storage
Rotate keys regularly (every 90 days)
Use separate keys for development and production
Revoke compromised keys immediately

Link Management

Use descriptive slugs for better analytics
Include metadata for campaign tracking
Delete unused links to maintain organization
Use HTTPS destinations only
Validate destination URLs before creation

Error Handling

Implement exponential backoff for retries
Handle rate limits gracefully
Log all API errors for debugging
Validate responses before processing
Set appropriate timeout values

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

401 Unauthorized Error

Cause: Invalid or missing API key in Authorization header.

Solution: Verify API key format and ensure Bearer prefix is included.

404 Not Found on Redirect

Cause: Link slug does not exist or was deleted.

Solution: Verify link was created successfully and slug matches exactly.

429 Rate Limit Exceeded

Cause: Too many requests in short time period.

Solution: Implement exponential backoff. Check X-RateLimit-Reset header for reset time.

Changelog

v1.2.0

2025-01-15

Added webhook support for link events
Improved analytics API performance
Enhanced rate limit headers

v1.1.0

2024-12-01

Custom domain support for Enterprise customers
Analytics export functionality
Improved error messages

v1.0.0

2024-10-15

Initial API release
Link creation and management
Basic analytics

Support

Need help? Our team is here to assist with technical questions, integration support, and account issues.

Technical Support

Get help with API integration, troubleshooting, and technical questions.

support@clients.ai →

System Status

Check real-time service status and incident history.

View Status →