Fast URL Redirects Powered by Redis
Links are served from a Redis-backed cache with a 60-minute TTL. Even under campaign load spikes, redirects resolve in milliseconds. No slow redirects, no downtime.
Speed is a feature
Every millisecond matters. Research from Google and Akamai consistently shows that page load times directly impact bounce rates, conversion rates, and user satisfaction. When a user clicks your short link, the redirect needs to be instantaneous - any perceptible delay creates friction and erodes trust.
Keynou Drive uses Redis as a caching layer between the request and the database. When a short link is clicked, the destination URL is fetched from Redis in sub-millisecond time, bypassing the database entirely. The cache has a 60-minute TTL, meaning that frequently accessed links are always served from memory.
This architecture is particularly important during traffic spikes. If you launch a campaign that generates thousands of clicks per minute, a database-backed shortener would buckle under the load. Redis absorbs the spike gracefully, serving every redirect from cache without degradation.
Key capabilities
Sub-millisecond resolution
Cached redirects resolve from Redis in under a millisecond.
60-minute cache TTL
Frequently accessed links stay in cache for an hour, ensuring consistent speed.
Handles traffic spikes
Redis absorbs sudden traffic surges without performance degradation.
No downtime under load
Cache layer provides resilience even if the database experiences momentary slowness.
How it works
Link is created
When you create a short link, the destination URL is stored in the database and cached in Redis.
Click arrives
When someone clicks your short link, the request hits the Redis cache first.
Cache hit
If the destination is in cache (within 60-minute TTL), the redirect fires instantly from Redis - no database query needed.
Cache miss (rare)
If the cache entry expired, the system fetches from the database, refreshes the cache, and redirects. Adds a few milliseconds for that one request.
Explore all features
Every feature, working together
Keynou Drive ships with everything you need to brand, track, and scale your short links. Jump to any feature to see how it fits.
Custom Domains
Serve branded short links under your own domain with automatic SSL.
Learn moreBranded Splash Pages
Show your logo and brand colors on every redirect before the destination loads.
Learn moreReal-Time Analytics
Track clicks by country, device, and referrer - no third-party tag manager required.
Learn moreChrome Extension
Create branded short links from any browser tab in one click.
Learn moreDeveloper API
Manage links, domains, and analytics programmatically via REST API.
Learn morePrivacy-First
No cookies, no third-party tracking, no data resale. GDPR compliant by design.
Learn moreMobile-Responsive
Full dashboard and analytics access on any device - desktop, tablet, or phone.
Learn moreFrequently Asked Questions
How fast are Keynou Drive redirects?
Keynou Drive redirects are served from a Redis-backed caching layer with a 60-minute TTL (time-to-live). Under normal conditions, redirects resolve in milliseconds - typically under 50ms. Once a short link is resolved for the first time, the destination URL is cached in Redis memory and served to all subsequent visitors instantly, without hitting the database. Even during traffic spikes from product launches, email blasts, or viral social media posts, the cache ensures consistent sub-second performance. For comparison, many URL shorteners rely on database lookups for every request, which can add 200-500ms of latency under load. Keynou Drive's Redis architecture ensures that your branded short links are consistently fast regardless of traffic volume, providing a smooth user experience for every click.
What happens when the cache expires?
When a cache entry expires after 60 minutes, the next request fetches the destination URL from the database and refreshes the cache. This adds a few milliseconds of latency for that single request, after which subsequent requests are cached again and served from Redis at full speed. The cache refresh is transparent to the visitor - they still experience a fast redirect. The 60-minute TTL is chosen to balance freshness with performance: it ensures that destination URL changes are reflected within an hour, while keeping the vast majority of requests served from cache. If you update a link's destination URL in the dashboard, the cache is invalidated immediately for that link, so the new destination takes effect right away without waiting for the TTL to expire.
Can Keynou Drive handle traffic spikes?
Yes. The Redis cache layer is specifically designed to handle high-throughput scenarios. Redis is an in-memory data store that can process hundreds of thousands of operations per second, making it ideal for absorbing traffic spikes. Whether you are running a Super Bowl ad, a flash sale, a product launch, or a viral social media campaign, the cache absorbs the load and serves redirects consistently without degradation. The architecture separates the redirect serving path (Redis) from the analytics pipeline (asynchronous), so even during massive traffic spikes, redirect performance is not affected by analytics processing. Competitors that rely on database lookups for every request often experience slowdowns or timeouts during traffic spikes, while Keynou Drive maintains consistent millisecond-level performance.
Is there a downtime risk during high traffic?
The Redis cache layer provides a buffer against database load, significantly reducing downtime risk during high traffic. Even if the database experiences momentary slowness, cached redirects continue to serve from Redis without interruption. Redis is configured with persistence (AOF and RDB snapshots), so cached data survives Redis restarts. The infrastructure also includes automatic failover: if a Redis node goes down, a replica takes over within seconds. Additionally, the redirect serving path is decoupled from the analytics pipeline, so analytics processing never blocks or slows down redirects. For enterprise customers on the Scale plan, we offer monitoring and alerting for redirect latency and uptime. The combination of Redis caching, automatic failover, and decoupled architecture ensures high availability even during the most demanding traffic scenarios.