Glossary

This page is a reference for terms used throughout the Linkzly documentation. If you encounter a term in any guide and want a quick definition, look it up here.

Term	Definition
A/B Test	A method of splitting traffic between two or more URL variants to compare performance. Configured as a rule type on short links.
AASA	Apple App Site Association — A JSON file hosted at `/.well-known/apple-app-site-association` that tells iOS which domains are associated with your app for Universal Links.
AAB	Android App Bundle — A publishing format for Android apps used in Play Store distribution.
Active Sessions	Logged-in sessions on devices that currently have access to your Linkzly account. You can view and revoke active sessions from the Sessions page.
Affiliate	A partner or publisher in an affiliate marketing program who promotes a product or service in exchange for commission on referred conversions. Affiliates use Linkzly-issued tracking links to attribute their referrals.
APK	Android Package — The binary file format for distributing Android apps outside of the Play Store.
App Build	A discrete build package of a mobile application uploaded to Linkzly App Distribution for testing and distribution via Install Links. Build counts are tracked per plan (Free: 5, Starter: 25, Professional: 100, Enterprise: unlimited).
App Link	The Android equivalent of Universal Links. When a user taps a verified domain link, the associated app opens directly instead of the browser. Requires an `assetlinks.json` file hosted on the domain.
ARPU	Average Revenue Per User — Total revenue divided by the number of active users in a period. A key metric in gaming analytics.
ARPPU	Average Revenue Per Paying User — Total revenue divided by the number of users who made at least one purchase.
Attribution	The process of crediting a marketing channel, campaign, or affiliate partner for driving a conversion, install, or other goal event.
Attribution Window	The number of days after a click during which a conversion will be credited to that click. The default is 30 days.
Bot Filtering	The process of excluding automated, non-human traffic from click counts and analytics data.
Bundle ID	A unique string identifier for an iOS app in reverse-DNS format (e.g., `com.example.myapp`). Required for Universal Links and Smart App registration.
CIDR Notation	Classless Inter-Domain Routing — A compact format for specifying IP address ranges (e.g., `203.0.113.0/24`). Used in API key IP restrictions.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)	The percentage of people who clicked a link out of all people who viewed it.
Coarse Value	In SKAdNetwork v4, a low-fidelity conversion value (`low`, `medium`, or `high`) used for privacy-preserving attribution when the precise conversion value is withheld.
CNAME	Canonical Name record — A DNS record type that points a subdomain to another hostname. Used to point a custom domain to Linkzly's servers.
Conversion	A desired action taken by a user — a purchase, sign-up, app install, or other goal event tracked for attribution and reporting.
Conversion Value	In SKAdNetwork, a 6-bit integer (0–63) that encodes which actions a user took after installing an app. Each bit represents a specific event.
CPA	Cost Per Acquisition — The average cost to acquire one conversion. Calculated as Ad Spend / Conversions.
Custom Alias	A user-chosen short code for a link, rather than the auto-generated random string (e.g., `linkz.ly/summer-sale`). In the Linkzly API, this field is named `customSlug`.
Custom Domain	A domain you own and have configured to use with Linkzly (e.g., `go.yourbrand.com`) instead of the default `linkz.ly` domain.
DAU	Daily Active Users — The number of unique players who opened your game on a given day.
Deep Link	A URL that opens a specific screen or state inside a mobile app (e.g., a product detail page or a game level). Requires the app to already be installed.
Deeplink	The Linkzly console term for Smart Links. A Deeplink is a single URL that routes visitors intelligently based on platform — opening the app store, app, or web fallback — and supports deferred deep linking. Navigate to Deeplinks in the sidebar to manage them. (Also referred to internally as Smart Links.)
Deferred Deep Link	A deep link that is stored and delivered after a user installs the app following a click. The user lands at the specific in-app destination rather than the home screen, even if they installed the app after clicking the link.
Device Fingerprint	A unique identifier derived from device attributes (screen resolution, OS version, hardware info) used to identify a device without relying on cookies.
Dynamic QR Code	A QR code whose destination URL can be changed after it has been printed or deployed, without regenerating or reprinting the QR image. Note: the Linkzly UI does not use the label "Dynamic" — QR codes in Linkzly are functionally dynamic in that their destination can be updated after creation.
Error Correction Level	A setting on QR codes that determines how much of the code can be obscured or damaged while still being readable. Levels are L (7%), M (15%), Q (25%), and H (30%).
Fraud Detection	An automated system within Gaming Intelligence that identifies and blocks fraudulent activity such as click injection, bot traffic, device farm access, and revenue anomalies. Configurable via custom rules with thresholds and operators.
Gaming Intelligence	Linkzly's analytics and fraud detection platform for games. Tracks player behavior, session data, revenue events, and campaign attribution across iOS, Android, and other platforms. Integrates with SKAdNetwork and supports fraud detection rules.
HMAC	Hash-based Message Authentication Code — A cryptographic signature used to verify that a request or payload was not tampered with. Used for webhook signature verification and Gaming SDK request signing.
Idempotency Key	A unique identifier (typically a UUID) included in an API request via the `X-Idempotency-Key` header to prevent duplicate processing when the same request is submitted more than once. If a request with a given idempotency key has already been processed, subsequent submissions return the original response.
Install Link	A shareable URL generated by Linkzly App Distribution that allows testers or stakeholders to download a specific app build directly to their device without using an app store. Install links expire based on plan: Free (24h), Starter (7 days), Professional (30 days), Enterprise (no expiry).
IPA	iOS App Package — The binary file format for distributing iOS apps via over-the-air or enterprise channels.
LTV	Lifetime Value — The total revenue expected from a single user over their entire relationship with your product.
MAU	Monthly Active Users — The number of unique players who opened your game at least once in a rolling 30-day period.
Nonce	A one-time random value (typically a UUID) included in signed requests to prevent replay attacks. Each nonce can only be used once within the replay window.
OG Tags	Open Graph tags — HTML meta tags that control how a link appears when shared on social media platforms, including the title, description, and preview image.
OTA	Over-the-Air — A method of distributing app builds directly to devices without going through an official app store. Used for distributing test builds to internal teams and stakeholders.
Package Name	A unique string identifier for an Android app in reverse-DNS format (e.g., `com.example.myapp`). Required for App Links and Smart App registration.
Postback	A server-to-server HTTP request sent by Linkzly to an ad network, analytics platform, or affiliate system to report a conversion event without involving the browser.
Rate Limit	A restriction on the number of API requests an API key can make within a specified time window. Configured per key as a request count and period (per minute, hour, or day). Exceeding the limit returns HTTP 429 Too Many Requests. The default is 1,000 requests per hour.
Replay Attack	A security attack in which a valid, signed request is captured and resubmitted later to repeat the action. Prevented by validating the request timestamp against a short replay window.
Replay Window	The maximum age of a signed request that Linkzly will accept. Requests older than the window are rejected. Default: 300 seconds (5 minutes).
ROAS	Return on Ad Spend — Revenue generated for every dollar spent on advertising. Calculated as Revenue / Ad Spend.
Scope	A permission label assigned to an API key that controls which API endpoints the key can access (e.g., `links:read`, `analytics:read`).
SDK Key	A unique authentication credential assigned to a game registered with Gaming Intelligence. The SDK Key is used by the gaming SDK (or direct API calls) to authenticate event ingestion requests. Distinct from API Keys, which control access to the Linkzly REST API.
SHA-256 Fingerprint	A cryptographic hash of an Android app's signing certificate, used to verify the app's identity for Android App Links.
Short Code	The unique path segment of a short URL. For example, in `linkz.ly/abc123`, the short code is `abc123`.
SKAN / SKAdNetwork	Apple's privacy-preserving mobile attribution framework. Allows ad networks to measure campaign performance without accessing individual user-level data. Linkzly supports SKAN v4.0.
Slug	The URL-friendly identifier used as the path of a short link. In `linkz.ly/summer-sale`, the slug is `summer-sale`. In the Linkzly API, the field name is `customSlug`. Also referred to as a Short Code or Custom Alias.
Smart App	A mobile application registered in Linkzly with its iOS and/or Android configuration. Smart Apps are the target destinations for Smart Links and deep links.
Smart Link	A single URL that intelligently routes visitors to the correct destination based on their platform — opening the iOS App Store, Google Play, or a web fallback — and supports deferred deep linking. Note: the Linkzly console displays this feature as "Deeplink" with the route `/dashboard/deeplinks/` and the button "Create Deeplink". The term "Smart Link" is used internally; users will see "Deeplink" in the UI.
Team ID	A 10-character string from your Apple Developer account that identifies your development organization. Required for iOS Universal Links and App Store configurations.
Tracker Domain	A custom domain configured within an affiliate program to serve as the click-tracking endpoint for affiliate links. Tracker domains replace the default Linkzly domain so affiliate links appear under the advertiser's own brand (e.g., `track.yourbrand.com/offer123`).
Universal Link	An iOS mechanism where tapping a link opens the associated app directly (if installed), bypassing the browser. Requires a valid AASA file hosted on the domain.
UTM Parameters	URL tracking parameters appended to links to identify the source, medium, and campaign of traffic in analytics tools. Standard parameters: `utm_source`, `utm_medium`, `utm_campaign`, `utm_term`, `utm_content`.
Webhook	An HTTP callback sent from Linkzly to your server when a specified event occurs (e.g., a link is clicked or a domain is verified). Used to sync data and trigger automated workflows in real time.
Webhook Secret	A randomly generated string used to sign webhook payloads. You use it on your server to verify that incoming requests came from Linkzly and were not tampered with.