Overview

Git.io is GitHub's own URL shortener service specifically designed for shortening GitHub URLs into compact git.io links. It requires no API key and works with a simple POST request, making it trivial to integrate. Note that Git.io only works with GitHub URLs (github.com domain), so it is not a general-purpose shortener.

Beginner Tip

Git.io only shortens URLs from the github.com domain: if you submit any other URL it will return an error. Use it in your GitHub-related tools or scripts to create cleaner links to repositories, commits, or pull requests.

Available Data

The kind of data this API exposes, based on its documentation. We could not call the endpoint to confirm the exact field names.

repository name and description
star and fork counts
contributor data
issues and pull requests
commit history
shortened URL

Example Response

Illustrative shape only — we were not able to call this endpoint (it requires credentials or exposes no public sample URL), so the fields below show the kind of data this API returns rather than a recorded response.

JSON Response · Illustrative
{
  "id": "abc123",
  "short_url": "https://short.ly/abc123",
  "long_url": "https://example.com/very/long/url/path",
  "clicks": 1542,
  "created_at": "2025-01-10T14:30:00Z"
}

Field Reference

Location (header) The resulting git.io short URL returned in the HTTP Location response header
Status HTTP status code; 201 means a new short link was created successfully

Implementation Example

Calls a real endpoint of this API. Replace any placeholder credentials with your own key.

Request
const url = "https://github.blog/2011-11-10-git-io-github-url-shortener/";
const response = await fetch(url);
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status}`);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

What Can You Build?

Note: These code examples are AI-generated and unverified. Always refer to the official API documentation for accurate usage.

Common Errors & Troubleshooting

Generated guidance based on this API's documentation, not observed by us. Treat it as a starting point and check against the provider's own error reference.

422 Unprocessable Entity The URL provided is not a github.com URL
Git.io only works with GitHub URLs: ensure your URL starts with https://github.com/
Conflict or duplicate link The URL has already been shortened and a git.io link exists for it
The existing short link will be returned; store it instead of re-creating it
Service deprecated GitHub announced Git.io is deprecated and no longer accepts new URLs
Use Bitly, TinyURL, or another general-purpose shortener for new links instead

Metadata Score Breakdown

Estimated from metadata — endpoint not independently tested

This score is estimated from observable metadata — HTTPS support, authentication model, declared CORS, and documentation reachability — because the API requires authentication or exposes no publicly testable endpoint. The five-signal breakdown is only shown for live-tested APIs.

Metadata estimate · endpoint not independently tested

Technical Specifications

Auth No Auth
HTTPS REQUIRED
CORS UNKNOWN
Category Url Shorteners
Difficulty Beginner
Listing details not endpoint-verified

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