Web client cannot edit or delete existing short URLs. GET/PATCH/DELETE by short code returns 404, but search and CLI succeed.

[HelpfulSoft1207]

Shlink version

5.1.5

PHP version

8.5.7

How do you serve Shlink

Docker image

Database engine

SQLite

Database version

3.49.2

Current behavior

The web client can list short URLs, but editing and deleting any short URL fails with a 404 error.

The browser console shows requests such as:

PATCH /rest/v3/short-urls/<shortCode>?domain=<default-domain> -> 404

DELETE /rest/v3/short-urls/<shortCode>?domain=<default-domain> -> 404

The API response is:

{
  "title": "Short URL not found",
  "status": 404,
  "detail": "No URL found with short code \"<shortCode>\""
}

However, the short URL definitely exists.

The same short URL:

• Redirects correctly
• Appears in the web client list
• Is returned by the search endpoint
• Can be resolved via the CLI
• Can be edited via the CLI

This affects multiple short URLs, not just one record.

Expected behavior

If a short URL exists and can be found through search, resolved through the CLI, and edited through the CLI, then the REST endpoint used by the web client should also be able to retrieve, edit, and delete the same short URL.

Editing and deleting from the web client should succeed instead of returning 404.

Minimum steps to reproduce

Environment:

• Shlink: 5.1.5
• shlink-web-client: 4.8.0
• Docker images

1. Create a short URL.

2. Verify it exists:

   shlink short-url:list --search-term=<shortCode>

3. Verify it resolves:

   shlink short-url:resolve <shortCode> --domain=<default-domain>

4. Verify it can be edited from CLI:

   shlink short-url:edit <shortCode> --domain=<default-domain> --title "TEST"

   Result:

   [OK] Short URL properly edited

5. Verify the search endpoint returns the record:

   GET /rest/v3/short-urls?searchTerm=<shortCode>

   Result:
   Returns the matching short URL record.

6. Attempt to edit or delete the same URL from shlink-web-client.

7. Observe that the web client issues requests similar to:

   GET /rest/v3/short-urls/<shortCode>?domain=<default-domain>
PATCH /rest/v3/short-urls/<shortCode>?domain=<default-domain>
DELETE /rest/v3/short-urls/<shortCode>?domain=<default-domain>

   All return:

   {
     "title": "Short URL not found",
     "status": 404
   }

I intentionally replaced real domains, URLs, and short codes with placeholders because the installation is publicly accessible.

[acelaya]

Please, provide enough steps to consistently reproduce the issue. These do not include how you configured Shlink, which is the key part.

[HelpfulSoft1207]

I installed it with a docker compose (below) and went to the URL.

services:
  shlink:
    image: 'shlinkio/shlink:stable'
    environment:
      - SERVICE_URL_SHLINK_8080
      - 'DEFAULT_DOMAIN=${SERVICE_FQDN_SHLINK}'
      - IS_HTTPS_ENABLED=true
      - 'INITIAL_API_KEY=${SERVICE_BASE64_SHLINKAPIKEY}'
    volumes:
      - 'shlink-data:/etc/shlink/data'
    healthcheck:
      test:
        - CMD
        - curl
        - '-f'
        - 'http://127.0.0.1:8080/rest/v3/health'
      interval: 2s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 15
  shlink-web:
    image: 'shlinkio/shlink-web-client:stable'
    environment:
      - SERVICE_URL_SHLINKWEB_8080
      - 'SHLINK_SERVER_API_KEY=${SERVICE_BASE64_SHLINKAPIKEY}'
      - 'SHLINK_SERVER_URL=${SERVICE_URL_SHLINK}'
    healthcheck:
      test:
        - CMD
        - curl
        - '-f'
        - 'http://127.0.0.1:8080'
      interval: 2s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 15

[acelaya]

The problem is very likely that you are setting different values for SERVICE_FQDN_SHLINK and SERVICE_URL_SHLINK.

Try passing Shlink the later.

[HelpfulSoft1207]

God this couldn't be a more confusing format.

Here are the environment variables passed on compose.

SERVICE_URL_SHLINKWEB_8080=https://sl-admin.my.domain:8080
SERVICE_URL_SHLINKWEB=https://sl-admin.my.domain
SERVICE_FQDN_SHLINKWEB=sl-admin.my.domain
SERVICE_FQDN_SHLINKWEB_8080=sl-admin.my.domain:8080
SERVICE_FQDN_SHLINK=go.my.domain
SERVICE_URL_SHLINK=https://go.my.domain
SERVICE_FQDN_SHLINK_8080=go.my.domain:8080
SERVICE_URL_SHLINK_8080=https://go.my.domain:8080
SERVICE_BASE64_SHLINKAPIKEY=redacted
DEFAULT_DOMAIN=${SERVICE_FQDN_SHLINK}
INITIAL_API_KEY=${SERVICE_BASE64_SHLINKAPIKEY}
SHLINK_SERVER_API_KEY=${SERVICE_BASE64_SHLINKAPIKEY}
SHLINK_SERVER_URL=${SERVICE_URL_SHLINK}

[HelpfulSoft1207]

@acelaya any idea?

[acelaya]

About what?

[HelpfulSoft1207]

Well, in your response pushing it to me that this was not a bug, you said that it was because

The problem is very likely that you are setting different values for SERVICE_FQDN_SHLINK and SERVICE_URL_SHLINK.
Try passing Shlink the later.

But I posted the information and they were the same.

This seems to only happen to imported URLs, but this was passed off as user error without any further questions.

[acelaya]

But I posted the information and they were the same.

Got it. I did not realize the values were the same.

However, mind your tone, or I will just ignore this discussion entirely.

[HelpfulSoft1207]

Imported short URLs are created as domain-specific records. For example, shortcode 1uiu1 is stored under domain go.my.domain.

Evidence:

• short-url:list correctly displays the imported URL.
• Redirects work correctly both internally and externally:
  • curl -I https://go.my.domain/1uiu1 returns 302 to the expected destination.
  • curl -H "Host: go.my.domain" http://127.0.0.1:8080/1uiu1 also returns 302.
• shlink short-url:resolve 1uiu1 returns No URL found with short code "1uiu1".
• shlink short-url:resolve 1uiu1 --domain=go.my.domain resolves successfully.

Newly created URLs can be managed normally in Shlink Web, while imported URLs fail lookup/edit operations and the API returns:

{
"shortCode": "1uiu1",
"title": "Short URL not found",
"type": "https://shlink.io/api/error/short-url-not-found"
}

This suggests Shlink Web and/or the API endpoint used by the Web Client may not be including the domain when querying imported domain-scoped short URLs, causing management operations to fail despite redirect resolution working correctly.

[acelaya]

Where are you importing short URLs from? Can you share the steps to reproduce this?

[HelpfulSoft1207]

https://shlink.io/documentation/advanced/import-short-urls/#yourls