Getting started

Before you start

You need three things:

• A VPS with a public IPv4 address, 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM and root SSH access. Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 is the safest choice. Use a clean server with no other websites on it.
• A domain whose DNS you can edit.
• A destination URL: an offer or a page of your own.

Rules, filtering, the click log and statistics run in the TDS.SO cloud. Your server only runs the proxy.

Step 1. Create an account and claim 3 free days

1. Open app.tds.so/register and create an account.
2. In the dashboard, link the Telegram bot (@tdsso_bot) when the dashboard offers it. You get 3 days of full access, once per account.

Paid plans start at $9.99 for 7 days and are paid in crypto.

Step 2. Install the proxy on your VPS

1. In the dashboard open Tools → Servers, click Add Server and choose My Server.
2. Keep Caddy selected, confirm the server requirements and click Get Installation Command. Copy the command and keep that window open until the installation finishes.
3. Connect to the VPS over SSH as root (ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP), paste the command and press Enter. If the installer asks Continue with installation? [y/N], read the list above the question and answer y.
4. When it finishes, the server appears in the list with the Online status. Copy its IP address.

If the installation fails or hangs, run the same command again. Ports 80 and 443 must be open. More detail in the server step of the docs.

Step 3. Point a domain at the server and add it

1. In your domain’s DNS create an A record for @ (and for www if you need it) with the server’s IP. Remove other A, AAAA and CNAME records for the same names. If you use Cloudflare, switch the record to DNS only (grey cloud) for now.
2. Wait for DNS to update, which takes minutes and sometimes up to a few hours. Check with dig +short example.com; it must return your server’s IP.
3. In the dashboard open Domains → Add Domains, paste the domain and click Add & Check. Leave Template empty for now.

The HTTPS certificate is issued automatically on the first visit over https://. If the domain shows as unavailable, DNS has not updated yet or ports 80 and 443 are closed. See domain step and domain troubleshooting.

Step 4. Create a template with rules

A template holds the routing rules shared by all links built from it. Open Templates → Create Template.

1. Destination. In Traffic route enter the URL visitors should land on. To split traffic evenly between offers, add several URLs separated by |; see split test.
2. Redirect method. Meta Refresh fits most cases. Pick 302 if the destination needs to see the referrer. All options are on the redirects page.
3. Rules. Add a rule (stream) when some visitors need another URL, for example Country is US to a separate offer. Conditions inside a group are combined with AND, groups with OR, and the first matching rule wins. Everyone else goes to the main URL.

Rules are optional for a first launch. You can add them later without changing any link.

Step 5. Set the bot page

In the template’s Bots row choose the filter level (High by default) and click Set bot action. Enter the URL bots should go to, for example your site’s home page, or choose a landing page or an error code instead. Bot clicks are still recorded, so you can see how much of your traffic they make up. How detection works is described in bot traffic and traffic filtering.

Click Create Template. The dashboard then offers to create links straight away: tick your domain and click Create links.

Step 6. Test the link

1. Open the new link in a browser. You should land on your destination URL.
2. If the bot page opens instead, the filter took you for a bot. This is common over a VPN or proxy. Try from a phone on mobile internet.
3. Open Statistics → Clicks. Your click is at the top with its country, device and the URL it went to.

If the link does not open at all, check that the domain’s DNS points at the server and the server is Online.

Step 7. Read the stats

The click log shows every visit: people and bots, country, device, source and where each click was sent. Use the Humans and Bots segments to compare traffic quality before you change a filter level. See analytics for the full list of views.

Step 8. Set up the postback (tracker, beta)

To count revenue and ROI, turn the tracker on in Settings → General → Tracker, then:

1. Create an offer in Tracker → Offers. Its URL must include {click_id} in the parameter your network stores, for example https://offer.example.org/spring?sub1={click_id}.
2. Attach the offer, a traffic source and a fallback click cost to your link. Without a cost there is no ROI.
3. Copy the address from Tracker → Conversions → Postback URL and paste it into the affiliate network, replacing the placeholders in braces with the network’s own macros.
4. Make a test conversion and check the incoming postbacks list in Conversions.

Parameters and statuses are explained in postback; the full reference is in the docs.

What to do next

• Send different countries and devices to different URLs: geo and device split guide.
• Running ads in messengers? See Telegram Ads and MAX traffic.
• Stuck? Write to the support bot, @tdsso_support_bot.

Questions

How long does the first launch take?

About an hour. Most of it is waiting for DNS, which takes from a few minutes to a few hours. Installing the proxy and creating a template take a few minutes each.

Do I need my own server?

Yes, a small VPS that runs a lightweight proxy for your domains. One command installs it. Rules, filtering and statistics stay in the cloud.

How do I get the 3 free days?

Link the Telegram bot @tdsso_bot to your account when the dashboard offers it. The bonus works once per account.

Why do I see the bot page when I open my own link?

The filter may take a VPN or proxy visit for a bot. Open the link from a phone on mobile internet. The template can also treat the first N clicks on a link as bots, so check that setting if your own tests keep landing on the bot page.