---
title: "What is a direct link?"
date: "2025-01-09T17:12:29+00:00"
summary: "Discover what direct links are and how they differ from embed codes. Learn when to use them for sharing assets and how they can enhance your content integration across various applications."
image:
type: "page"
url: "/acquia-dam/what-direct-link"
id: "56ac1a91-d833-4e0d-9eff-97e033faeb06"
---

Direct links can be selected when you [share an asset from a portal](How-do-I-share-assets-from-a-portal). They are the URL from within the embed code that links directly to an image, video, or document. Typically longer than share links, they’re useful for apps that accept a URL directly, as it allows that app to modify how an asset is displayed.  
  
For example, for the asset below that's included in a portal, the embed code is a snippet of HTML that can be pasted into an email, blog post, etc. It looks like this:  
  
<img width="640" alt="Bliss-lifestyle-sunset.jpg" src="https://generica.widen.net/content/e8tlt30cbp/jpeg/Bliss-lifestyle-sunset.jpg?keep=c&crop=yes&quality=80&use=pgtdrr9v&x.portal\_shortcode\_generated=wbwkdlw4&x.app=portals">

![Share an embed code from a portal.](https://acquia.widen.net/content/ebf07971-b486-462d-bdfe-4c410a8dd04e/web/ka0Pb0000006vrd00N6g00000WDN1a0EM6g000005Lvod.png)

Whereas the direct link for the asset looks like this:

https://generica.widen.net/content/e8tlt30cbp/jpeg/Bliss-lifestyle-sunset\_crop.jpg

![Share a direct link to an asset in a portal.](https://acquia.widen.net/content/91ebda98-43de-4ac5-997d-f40fbae8b238/web/ka0Pb0000006vrd00N6g00000WDN1a0EM6g000005Lvoe.png)

In addition, the Portals app has a method to share a [direct link to a portal](/acquia-dam/how-do-i-share-portal "How do I share a portal?").