Self-Destructing Links
Self-destructing links you can control after sending.
A self-destructing link is a URL that stops working on your terms — after a set time, after a single view, or the moment you revoke it. LinkPilot gives you all three, plus a passphrase gate and an audit timeline, so sensitive content never outlives its purpose.
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Secret Links are not marketing links.
Secret contents are handled separately from short-link analytics. LinkPilot may show basic delivery/audit events, but secret contents are never used for campaign analytics, profiling, or retargeting.
Secret Links vs Smart Links
Two different jobs, kept intentionally separate. Use the right tool for the right share.
| Secret Links | Smart Links | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary use case | Sending sensitive info you want to control after sending | Branded short links for campaigns and content |
| Expiration | Required — minutes to 30 days, or on first view | Optional — set an expiry if you want one |
| One-time viewing | Yes — burn after read enforced atomically | No — designed to be clicked many times |
| Passphrase protection | Optional, hashed client-side before transport | Not applicable |
| Analytics | None on contents — only basic delivery/audit events | Full click analytics: referrers, geo, device, UTM |
| Audit events | Created, viewed, burned, revoked — per secret | Aggregated click stream and link lifecycle |
| Best for | Passwords, API keys, credentials, confidential notes | Marketing, social, email, QR codes, partner links |
Common use cases
- Sharing confidential documents that should not live forever
- Distributing time-limited download URLs
- Sending one-off credentials or access codes
- Delivering personal data under GDPR minimization rules
What you get
Time-based expiry
Pick from 5 minutes to 30 days — the link dies on schedule.
View-based expiry
Burn after a single view, or after a fixed number of opens.
Manual revoke
Kill any link instantly from the dashboard.
Tamper-evident audit log
Every creation, view, burn, and revocation is recorded.
Why teams choose LinkPilot
One platform for every kind of link
Most tools cover either marketing links or secret sharing. LinkPilot covers both — with the controls, audit trail, and team workflows engineering and marketing teams actually need.
| Capability | Secret Links | Smart Links | Controlled Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-time Secret Links | |||
| Expiring links | |||
| Passphrase protection | Partial | ||
| Branded short links | |||
| Link analytics | |||
| Audit events | |||
| Team workflows | |||
| API access | |||
| Revocation | |||
| Custom expiration |
How is this actually secured?
No vague "military-grade encryption" claims — here is the real model. Traffic is TLS-encrypted in transit and stored data is encrypted at rest on managed infrastructure. Passphrases are SHA-256 hashed in your browser before transport, so the raw passphrase never reaches our database or logs.
Burn-after-read is enforced atomically with row-level locking, so two concurrent viewers can never both read a secret. Burned, expired, or revoked payloads are irreversibly redacted. Viewer IPs are SHA-256 hashed with a salt that rotates every 24 hours — raw IPs are never stored — and link unfurlers (Slack, email scanners) receive metadata only: a view is recorded solely on an explicit reveal.
Frequently asked questions
Do expired links leak any information?
No. Once expired, the contents are unreadable and the URL returns a clear status page.
Can I change the expiry after sending?
You can shorten the expiry or revoke immediately. Extending an active secret is intentionally not supported to preserve recipient trust.
Are self-destructing links the same as short links?
They share a URL format, but self-destructing links are designed for secrets — Smart Links are for branded short URLs with analytics.