# URL Unshortener & Redirect Resolver (`dr.skywalker/url-unshortener`) Actor

Resolve shortened URLs to their final destinations and show the full redirect chain. Handy for affiliate marketers, security teams, and analysts.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/dr.skywalker/url-unshortener.md
- **Developed by:** [Luqin Wang](https://apify.com/dr.skywalker) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 0.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $20.00 / 1,000 resolve job completeds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## URL Unshortener & Redirect Resolver

Resolve shortened URLs to their final destinations and show the full redirect chain. Handy for affiliate marketers, security teams, and analysts.

### Input

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Paste URLs (one per line) | Paste one urls per line. Used only when no file or URL is provided. |
| Upload URLs file | Upload a text file with one urls per line. |
| Urls list URL | Public URL of a text file with one urls per line. Used only when no file is provided. |
| Timeout per URL (seconds) | How long to wait for each URL before giving up. |
| Max URLs | Maximum number of URLs to resolve per run. |
| Max redirects | Maximum redirects to follow per URL. |

### Output

- **Dataset**: one item per URL: `url`, `finalUrl`, `redirectCount`, `redirectChain`, `status`, `error`
- **Key-value store `SUMMARY`**: JSON totals

### Pricing (pay-per-event)

- **$0.02** per resolve job
- **$0.0005** per URL resolved

# Actor input Schema

## `urlsText` (type: `string`):

Paste one URL per line. Used only when no file or URL is provided. Example: https://example.com

## `urlsFile` (type: `string`):

Upload a text file with one urls per line.

## `urlsUrl` (type: `string`):

Public URL of a text file with one URLs per line. Used only when no file is provided. Example: https://example.com/URLs.txt

## `timeoutSec` (type: `integer`):

Total time budget per URL in seconds, covering all redirects and the HEAD-to-GET fallback when a server rejects HEAD.

## `maxUrls` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of URLs to resolve per run.

## `maxRedirects` (type: `integer`):

Maximum redirects to follow per URL.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "urlsText": "http://github.com\nhttps://example.com",
  "timeoutSec": 15,
  "maxUrls": 1000,
  "maxRedirects": 5
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

Dataset with one item per processed result.

## `files` (type: `string`):

Key-value store with downloadable result files and summary.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "urlsText": `http://github.com
https://example.com`
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("dr.skywalker/url-unshortener").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "urlsText": """http://github.com
https://example.com""" }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("dr.skywalker/url-unshortener").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "urlsText": "http://github.com\\nhttps://example.com"
}' |
apify call dr.skywalker/url-unshortener --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,dr.skywalker/url-unshortener"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/vfub8O2iqOttUZG6a/builds/yAMF3XIrLUJQvuumQ/openapi.json