--- title: "Self-Destructing Links — Expiring Secure URLs | LinkPilot" description: "Create self-destructing links that expire on a schedule or after a single view. Passphrase protection and audit logs included." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "SoftwareApplication", "@id": "https://uselinkpilot.com/#software", "name": "LinkPilot", "applicationCategory": "BusinessApplication", "operatingSystem": "Web", "description": "LinkPilot is a secure link management platform for creating branded short links, tracking engagement, and sharing secrets with expiring, protected, self-destructing links.", "url": "https://uselinkpilot.com", "offers": [ { "@type": "Offer", "name": "Free", "price": "0", "priceCurrency": "USD", "url": "https://uselinkpilot.com/pricing" }, { "@type": "Offer", "name": "Pro", "price": "29", "priceCurrency": "USD", "priceSpecification": { "@type": "UnitPriceSpecification", "price": "29", "priceCurrency": "USD", "billingDuration": "P1M" }, "url": "https://uselinkpilot.com/pricing" }, { "@type": "Offer", "name": "Agency", "price": "299", "priceCurrency": "USD", "priceSpecification": { "@type": "UnitPriceSpecification", "price": "299", "priceCurrency": "USD", "billingDuration": "P1M" }, "url": "https://uselinkpilot.com/pricing" }, { "@type": "Offer", "name": "Enterprise", "priceSpecification": { "@type": "PriceSpecification", "priceCurrency": "USD" }, "url": "https://uselinkpilot.com/pricing" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://uselinkpilot.com/#organization", "name": "LinkPilot", "url": "https://uselinkpilot.com", "parentOrganization": { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://tetracorehq.com/#organization", "name": "TetraCore", "url": "https://tetracorehq.com/" }, "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://uselinkpilot.com/logo-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 }, "description": "LinkPilot is a secure link management platform for creating branded short links, tracking engagement, and sharing secrets with expiring, protected, self-destructing links.", "sameAs": [ "https://x.com/uselinkpilot", "https://www.linkedin.com/company/uselinkpilot", "https://facebook.com/uselinkpilot" ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebSite", "name": "LinkPilot", "url": "https://uselinkpilot.com", "potentialAction": { "@type": "SearchAction", "target": "https://uselinkpilot.com/blog?q={search_term_string}", "query-input": "required name=search_term_string" } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Do expired links leak any information?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "No. Once expired, the contents are unreadable and the URL returns a clear status page." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Can I change the expiry after sending?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "You can shorten the expiry or revoke immediately. Extending an active secret is intentionally not supported to preserve recipient trust." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Are self-destructing links the same as short links?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "They share a URL format, but self-destructing links are designed for secrets — Smart Links are for branded short URLs with analytics." } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://uselinkpilot.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Self-Destructing Links", "item": "https://uselinkpilot.com/self-destructing-links" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "HowTo", "name": "How to share a secret with a self-destructing link", "description": "Create a one-time secret link in three steps — no signup required.", "step": [ { "@type": "HowToStep", "position": 1, "name": "Paste your secret", "text": "Paste the password, API key, or note into the secret creator. Nothing is stored until you create the link." }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "position": 2, "name": "Set expiry and passphrase", "text": "Choose an expiry window (5 minutes to 30 days), turn on burn-after-read, and optionally add a passphrase — it is hashed in your browser before transport." }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "position": 3, "name": "Send the link", "text": "Share the generated link through any channel. The first explicit reveal burns the secret atomically; every event lands in the audit timeline." } ] } ] --- [![LinkPilot](/link_pilot_icon.webp)LinkPilot ](/) [Features](/features)[Tools](/tools)[Blog](/blog)[Pricing](/pricing)[FAQ](/#faq) Toggle theme [Sign In](/login)[Start free](/signup) 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. Short linkSecret link Destination URL Custom slug (optional) Lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens. Can't start or end with a hyphen. Create free short link Free No account required Public analytics included No credit card required · Free forever plan 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 Use LinkPilot when a link needs to be more than just a URL. [Get started free](/app/links) [See how it works](/security-architecture) ## 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. [Read the full security architecture →](/security-architecture) ## 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. ## Related - [Burn after reading links](/burn-after-reading-links) - [One-time secret sharing](/one-time-secret-sharing) - [Secret sharing overview](/secret-sharing) - [Link shortener](/link-shortener) - [Security architecture](/security-architecture) - [LinkPilot vs Privnote](/compare/linkpilot-vs-privnote) - [Expiring links & security](/blog/expiring-links-security) ## Ready to take control of your links? Create a free account and start sending links you can control after sending. [Create a Secret Link](/signup) [Shorten a Link](/signup) ![LinkPilot](/assets/link_pilot_icon-Bslvq5xV.webp)LinkPilot [About](/about)[Features](/features)[Pricing](/pricing)[For Agencies](/url-shortener-for-agencies)[Tools](/tools)[Blog](/blog)[Glossary](/glossary)[Compare](/compare)[Privacy](/privacy)[Security](/security-architecture)[Transparency](/transparency)[Terms](/terms)[GDPR](/gdpr) [](https://x.com/uselinkpilot)[](https://www.linkedin.com/company/uselinkpilot)[](https://facebook.com/uselinkpilot) © 2026 TetraCore. All rights reserved. · LinkPilot is [a TetraCore product](https://tetracorehq.com/)