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What Are Custom Slugs?

A slug is the unique identifier in your short link. Instead of random characters, you can create custom, meaningful slugs:
  • Random slug: sptfy.in/a7x9
  • Custom slug: sptfy.in/summer-vibes-2026

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Benefits of Custom Slugs

  • Memorable - Easier for your audience to remember and type
  • Branded - Include your brand name or campaign identifier
  • Descriptive - Hint at the content before clicking
  • Professional - Looks more polished than random characters
  • SEO-friendly - Better for sharing and discoverability

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How to Create a Custom Slug

1

Open customization options

On the sptfy.in homepage, click the “customize (optional)” row to expand advanced options.
The expand/collapse animation uses a smooth chevron icon. Click anywhere on the row or the chevron to toggle.
2

Enter your custom slug

In the expanded section, you’ll see two fields:
  • Domain dropdown - Choose your subdomain (see Subdomains)
  • Custom slug input - Enter your desired slug here
Type your preferred slug in the input field. As you type, the system automatically:
  • Converts to lowercase
  • Replaces invalid characters with hyphens
  • Removes consecutive hyphens
  • Trims leading/trailing hyphens
3

Wait for availability check

The system checks slug availability in real-time as you type. You’ll see status indicators below the input:Status colors:
  • 🟡 Yellow border - “Checking availability…”
  • 🟢 Green border - ”✓ Available”
  • 🔴 Red border - “Slug already taken” or validation error
4

Create your link

Once you see the green ”✓ Available” indicator, paste your Spotify URL and click “Short It!” to create your custom link.

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Slug Validation Rules

Custom slugs must follow these rules:

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Minimum Length

4 characters minimum
Error: Too ShortSlugs must be at least 4 characters long.Example: abc ❌ → abcd ✅

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Maximum Length

80 characters maximum While the system allows up to 80 characters, shorter slugs are recommended for sharing:
  • Optimal: 4-20 characters
  • Maximum: 80 characters

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Allowed Characters

Only lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores:
  • ✅ Allowed: a-z, 0-9, -, _
  • ❌ Not allowed: Uppercase, spaces, special characters (!, @, #, etc.)
Auto-sanitization: The system automatically cleans your input:
You typeAuto-converted to
My Playlist!my-playlist
Summer__2026summer-2026
--trending--trending
Hyphens (-) are recommended over underscores (_) for better readability:
  • Better: summer-vibes-2026
  • Works: summer_vibes_2026

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Reserved Slugs

Certain slugs are reserved for sptfy.in system routes: Protected routes:
  • recent - Recent links page
  • top - Top links leaderboard
  • about - About pages
  • terms - Terms of service
  • privacy - Privacy policy
  • login - Authentication
  • prev - Preview page
  • dash - Dashboard
  • admin - Admin panel
  • api - API routes
  • debug - Debug tools
Error: Reserved SlugThis slug is reserved for system use. Please choose a different one.

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Real-Time Availability Check

sptfy.in checks slug availability as you type using a debounced API call: How it works:
  1. You type a slug → System waits 350ms
  2. If you stop typing → Checks availability with database
  3. Shows result → Green (available), red (taken), or yellow (checking)
Visual feedback: 
🟡 "Checking availability..."
The “Short It!” button is disabled while checking availability or if the slug is invalid/taken. This prevents accidental duplicate creation.

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Choosing a Subdomain

sptfy.in offers multiple subdomains to categorize your content:

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Available Subdomains

SubdomainBest forExample
sptfy.inGeneral use (default)sptfy.in/my-slug
artist.sptfy.inArtist profilesartist.sptfy.in/taylor-swift
profile.sptfy.inUser profilesprofile.sptfy.in/john-doe
playlist.sptfy.inPlaylistsplaylist.sptfy.in/workout-mix
track.sptfy.inIndividual trackstrack.sptfy.in/hit-song
Pro tip: Choose a subdomain that matches your content type for better organization and professionalism.Example: Sharing an artist? Use artist.sptfy.in/artist-name instead of generic sptfy.in/artist-name.

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Coming Soon

These subdomains are planned but not yet active:
  • album.sptfy.in - For albums

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URL Preview with Custom Slug

As you type a custom slug, the URL preview card updates in real-time to show how your final link will look: Preview shows: 
[selected-subdomain].sptfy.in/your-custom-slug
Example flow:
  1. Default: sptfy.in/**** (pre-generated random slug)
  2. Select playlist.sptfy.in: playlist.sptfy.in/****
  3. Type summer-vibes: playlist.sptfy.in/summer-vibes
  4. Final: playlist.sptfy.in/summer-vibes ✅

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Custom Slugs in the Dashboard

If you’re signed in, you can also create custom slugs from the Dashboard:
  1. Click + Create New Link button
  2. Expand customization options
  3. Enter custom slug (same validation rules apply)
  4. Real-time availability check works here too
Editing existing links: You can change the slug of existing links in the dashboard. See Managing Links guide.

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Best Practices

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Do’s ✅

  • Keep it short - Aim for 4-15 characters when possible
  • Use hyphens - Separate words with hyphens for readability
  • Be descriptive - Hint at the content (e.g., chill-morning-playlist)
  • Include context - Add dates, campaigns, or events (e.g., concert-2026)
  • Check availability first - Wait for the green ✓ before submitting

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Don’ts ❌

  • Don’t use spaces - They’ll be converted to hyphens anyway
  • Avoid special characters - Only a-z, 0-9, -, _ are allowed
  • Don’t use reserved words - Check the reserved list
  • Avoid offensive content - Keep it professional and appropriate
  • Don’t make it too long - Long slugs defeat the purpose of shortening

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Examples

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Good Custom Slugs

✅ sptfy.in/workout-2026
✅ playlist.sptfy.in/road-trip
✅ artist.sptfy.in/indie-artist  
✅ track.sptfy.in/new-single
✅ sptfy.in/podcast-ep42

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Bad Custom Slugs

❌ sptfy.in/abc          (too short - min 4 chars)
❌ sptfy.in/My Playlist! (spaces and special chars)
❌ sptfy.in/recent       (reserved system route)
❌ sptfy.in/admin        (reserved system route)

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Troubleshooting

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”Slug already taken”

Someone else already created a link with this slug. Try:
  • Adding a number: playlist-2026 → playlist-2026-v2
  • Adding your name: mix → johns-mix
  • Using a subdomain: sptfy.in/mix → playlist.sptfy.in/mix

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Input border stays yellow

The system is checking availability. This usually takes less than 1 second. If it stays yellow:
  • Check your internet connection
  • Wait a moment and try typing again
  • Refresh the page if needed

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Button is disabled

The “Short It!” button is disabled when:
  • ⏳ Slug is still being checked (yellow border)
  • ❌ Slug is taken or invalid (red border)
  • ⚠️ Slug is too short (< 4 characters)
  • 🔒 Maintenance mode is active

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Next Steps

Creating Links

Learn the basics of link creation

Managing Links

View and edit your custom slugs in the dashboard

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