Should you build your own ReSlug?
Short links with click analytics, routing rules, QR codes, and bio pages
The redirect is a slug, a lookup, a 302, and a row in a table · Cloudflare Workers with KV and D1 does the whole job on the free tier, and the QR code is one library call. Routing rules, expiry, and password links are an afternoon more. What you cannot build in a sitting is permanence: your links only outlive the project if you keep renewing the domain and the account. The wrinkle with ReSlug specifically is that its free plan already includes a custom domain and real analytics at personal scale, so the DIY build is competing with 0 USD rather than 9 · build it for the ownership, not the savings.
ENOriginal research content in English. Original prompt preserved in English.
Build me a link shortener with click analytics and QR codes to replace ReSlug. Requirements:
- Cloudflare Workers via wrangler: KV for the slug lookup, D1 for the click
log. Free tier, and it runs on my own domain.
- A worker on go.mydomain.com/{slug} reads KV and 302s, writing the click to
D1 inside ctx.waitUntil so the redirect never waits on the database.
- Slugs are random 6-character base62 by default, but I can set a custom
back-half, and creating one that already exists fails loudly instead of
overwriting it.
- Log per click: slug, timestamp, country and city from request.cf, device
type parsed from the user-agent, and referer. Drop clicks whose user-agent
matches a known bot list before they reach the stats.
- Per-link routing rules: an optional country-to-URL and device-to-URL map
checked before the default destination.
- Optional expiry date, click cap, and password per link · expired or capped
links 302 to a fallback URL I set, password links show a minimal form first.
- Generate a PNG QR code for any link with the qrcode npm package, served at
/qr/{slug} and cached, so print material points at the same tracked link.
- An /admin page behind one password (wrangler secret) listing links with
clicks per day, top countries, top referrers, and device split per link.
- Secrets via wrangler secret, never in wrangler.toml. No accounts, no
third-party analytics, no telemetry.
- Out of scope: bio pages, teams, and a public API.
- README: wrangler setup, the KV namespace and D1 database, the DNS record,
and a warning that these links die with the domain, so use a domain you
intend to keep renewing.The prompt opens pre-filled in your agent. Review it before running.
What would building your own look like?
Map a short slug to a destination, 302 to it, log each click with country, device, and referrer, filter obvious bots, and render a QR code for any link.
What you will need
- Cloudflare account (Workers, KV, D1)
- a domain you control
- wrangler CLI
The redirect was never the product. What the subscription buys is a redirect that stays up when your side project does not, analytics you did not have to build or debug, and routing, expiry, and password controls behind a dashboard instead of a config file. ReSlug's own twist is that most of that is on the free plan, custom domain included, so the paid tier is really about unlimited tracked clicks, longer analytics retention, and API access · the people paying 9 USD are past personal scale anyway.
xlinks that outlive your own infrastructure · a domain you stop renewing takes every link with it
xbot filtering that actually works · the heuristics take iteration you will not do for one project
xgeo and device routing rules, scheduled links, and click caps behind a dashboard instead of a config file
xbio pages and branded QR codes
xa REST API and webhooks other tools can call
Prefer something ready-made?
Short.ioShort links, analytics, QR codes, mobile routing and link-in-bio pages on a genuinely useful free plan.Free↗License, setup, and limitations for each alternative.
How much does ReSlug cost?
- Monthly billing
- $9/mo$9/mo
- Per year
- $108/yr$108/yr
- Annual billing
- $78.96/yr27% cheaper than paying monthly
- On a Brazilian card, with 3.5% IOF
- R$47.03/moR$413/yr
Saved to My list. You will see a notice on this site when the price changes.
You complete the purchase on ReSlug’s site. Vibe Radar does not handle payments.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per month) | What is included |
|---|---|---|---|
| free | $0/workspace | $0/workspace | 500 active links, 1,000 tracked clicks/month, 1 custom domain, 30-day analytics, 1 bio page, 25 tags, 3 folders, a 100-row CSV import/upload cap, 1 seat, and 50 lead captures/month |
| pro | $9/workspace≈ $9 | $6.58/workspace≈ $6.58 | Unlimited links and tracked clicks, 10 custom domains, 365-day analytics, 5 bio pages, 10 API keys at 200 requests/minute, a 1,000-row CSV import/upload cap, and 5 seats |
Free tier500 active links; 1,000 tracked clicks/month; 1 custom domain; 30-day analytics; 1 bio page; 25 tags; 3 folders; 100-row CSV import/upload cap; 1 seat; 50 lead captures/month
Billing termsmonthly + annual ($79/year, about 27% below $9 monthly); auto-renewal terms were not numerically detailed on the pricing page
verified 2026-08-12 · source ↗
Is it cheaper to build or buy ReSlug?
Adjust the numbers: hours to build, your hourly rate, running costs and the subscription price.
Over 24 months, subscribing is cheaper.
Starting hours estimated from the analysis (one sitting). Does not price what you give up (support, integrations, security).
Can I rebuild ReSlug?
Yes. A competent AI coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor) can build a usable personal ReSlug replacement in one session with the prompt on this page. It runs on your own machine or server with no subscription.
How much does ReSlug cost?
ReSlug costs about $9/mo (Pro, checked 10/20/2026), which is $78.96 per year. That’s what you save by replacing it with one prompt.
What do I lose by replacing ReSlug?
Honestly: links that outlive your own infrastructure · a domain you stop renewing takes every link with it; bot filtering that actually works · the heuristics take iteration you will not do for one project; geo and device routing rules, scheduled links, and click caps behind a dashboard instead of a config file; bio pages and branded QR codes; a REST API and webhooks other tools can call. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to ReSlug?
Yes: Short.io (Short links, analytics, QR codes, mobile routing and link-in-bio pages on a genuinely useful free plan.) The prompt is for when you want it exactly your way.