Website Hit Counter

Create trackable links, monitor click traffic, and manage user redirection. A fully functional simulation running directly in your browser.

Link Settings

Destination URL The page users will be sent to after counting the hit.

Redirect Delay (Seconds)

Open in New Tab (Demo Mode)

Management

Recording Hit...

Redirecting in 3s

Total Hits

Last Hit: Never

Simulate Visitor:

How a Hit Counter Works

A hit counter is a piece of software that tracks the number of times a specific webpage or link is accessed. In the early days of the web, these were visible badges on footers. Today, they power sophisticated analytics engines, affiliate tracking links, and URL shorteners.

The Mechanics of Redirection

When you click a tracked link (like a bit.ly URL), you aren't going straight to the destination.

Step 1 (The Hit): The browser sends a request to the tracking server.
Step 2 (The Count): The server logs your IP, device, and time, then increments the database counter.
Step 3 (The Redirect): The server responds with a 301 Moved Permanently or 302 Found status code, instantly sending your browser to the final destination.

Why Use an Intermediate Page?

Sometimes, instead of an instant HTTP redirect, developers use a "Meta Refresh" or JavaScript redirect (like this tool demonstrates). This allows the site to show an interstitial page—useful for displaying ads, "You are leaving our site" warnings, or simply confirming the click before moving the user along.

Pro Tip: This tool uses localStorage to persist the hit count. This means if you refresh the page, your count remains saved in your browser, simulating a real database connection!

Building Your Own

To implement this on a live website, you would typically use a backend language like PHP, Python, or Node.js connected to a database (MySQL or MongoDB). The frontend would simply link to /track?id=123, and the backend would handle the logic invisibly.