An API is a way to pass data from one system or app to another. Hundreds of thousands of people send information through Bitly's API every day.
We've updated our API to v4 (version 4), and it's important that you're connecting to Bitly using this latest version. Bitly will no longer support older versions after March 1, 2020.
How do you know if you're using the latest version of the API, v4?
The biggest clue would be if you’re asked to enter a Bitly API key to connect to Bitly. API keys are a method used in the old versions of the API and are no longer supported in v4. Instead, v4 uses OAuth access tokens.
To know which version of the API you’re using, you'd have to ask the people who built your integration. You don't want your digital marketing efforts to come to a halt when we start the process of shutting down the old API on March 1, so take action if you have any doubts.
What to do if you've built your own integration
- First, make sure you've set your default API group via your Bitly profile settings.
- If you worked with a developer to build your own integration, work with your technical contacts to make sure you're using API v4. Up-to-date information is available on our developer site, dev.bitly.com.
- You can also view our Bitly Expert Webinar, Migrating to API v4.
What to do if you use a product with its own Bitly integration
If you're using a product like Dynamic Signal, Pardot, Sprinklr, or others that have "plugged into" Bitly.
- First, make sure you've set your default API group via your Bitly profile settings.
- Check our list of known products from companies that have reported they'll be updated. If you don't see your product on the list, check in with the vendor directly and send them a link to this page.
When a product updates to API v4, the vendor will put your existing connection through an OAuth flow, which will give them an access token to use for all future calls. That's tech talk for: You shouldn't have to do another thing when the system is updated for you.
If your software provider does not update to v4, your integration will stop working, and you will need to log into your Bitly account to shorten links and view your metrics.
What happened on March 1?
On March 1, 2020, Bitly removed all API v3 documentation from dev.bitly.com and no longer supports earlier API versions. All API integrations must be updated to v4.
The process of shutting down v3 permanently is now in process. There will be a period of documentation clean-up, intermittent brownout periods when v3 connections will not function, and then the permanent shutdown of API v3. Check our status page for operational updates.
To avoid any disruption to your work, update to API v4.