Last updated: September 28, 2026 · Category: Guide · Editorial review · About the authors
Key Takeaways
- Discord invites differ in three ways: how long they last and how many times they work, whether they grant only temporary membership, and whether the server uses a vanity URL.
- A new invite in the Discord app lasts 7 days by default, unless the channel's invite settings were changed before. A link that never expires is an option Discord describes for Community Servers.
- For tracking, one distinct invite per source works best. A vanity URL is a single link, so it cannot show which campaign a member came from.
Discord invites are not one fixed type. Each invite has an expiry and a use limit. It can grant full or temporary membership. A server at Boost Level 3 can also add a branded vanity URL. This guide explains each setting, what Discord's own documentation says about it, and which setup makes it easiest to see where members come from.
Expiry and Use Limits
Every invite has two limits: how long it stays valid and how many times it can be used.
In the Discord app, Discord's Invites 101 article (retrieved 2026-09-28) says the invite panel shows "a 7 days access link by default." That applies unless the channel's invite settings were already changed. You can change both limits under Edit invite link. The same article describes a range from a link "that only lasts 30 minutes" to one "that doesn't expire at all, if you are in a Community Server."
Discord's help center calls the short-lived version a temporary invite link. That is an expiry setting. It is different from the temporary membership setting described in the next section.
Bots and the API use the same two limits. Discord's channel resource documentation (retrieved 2026-09-28) lists max_age between 0 and 604800 seconds, where 0 means never, with a default of 86400 seconds (24 hours). It lists max_uses between 0 and 100, where 0 means unlimited.
Two practical points follow:
- A link shared publicly with the default setting expires after 7 days. For a website or video description, set the longest duration your server allows.
- Once an invite is deleted, its code is gone. Invites 101 says it "can not be remade with that same invite code," so replace the link everywhere it was shared.
Grant Temporary Membership
Grant temporary membership is a separate switch on an invite. Invites 101 describes it directly: "members who join through the invite link are automatically kicked when they disconnect unless a role is assigned."
The trigger is the member disconnecting, not the invite expiring. In the API, temporary is a separate field from max_age, so it can be combined with any expiry.
It suits access that should not last without a follow-up step, such as an event-only pass or a trial period. It is a poor choice for a general recruitment link. Members who log off before anyone gives them a role are removed. They may not know why. In your numbers, they show up as lost members.
Vanity URLs (Custom Invite Links)
A vanity URL is a branded invite such as discord.gg/servername. Discord calls it a Custom Invite Link (retrieved 2026-09-28). It is available to servers at Server Boost Level 3, which requires 14 Boosts according to the Server Boosting FAQ (retrieved 2026-09-28).
The Custom Invite Link article adds three facts worth knowing before you set one:
- Setting it "makes your server public and anyone able to join with the link."
- It needs a text channel where
@everyonehas the View Channel permission. Without one, "the custom invite link will not work." - It can use up to 25 characters: lowercase letters, numbers, or dashes.
The link stays while the server keeps its boost level. For tracking, Discord's guild resource documentation (retrieved 2026-09-28) notes that a separate endpoint "is required to get the usage count of the vanity invite." A tracker can read that total, but it cannot tell which campaign each vanity join came from. The Server Boosting FAQ says that after a server loses the level, "the Custom Invite Link will be lost and become available to other servers after 30 days."
Invite Settings Compared
| Setting | What it controls | Default | Best use | Tracking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expiry | How long the link works | 7 days in the app, 24 hours via the API | Up to 7 days for short campaigns; never, deleted at the end, for longer ones | Clean, one link per source |
| Use limit | How many joins the link allows | Unlimited via the API | Capped events or partner deals | Clean, one link per source |
| Temporary membership | Whether members are kicked on disconnect without a role | Off | Event passes, trials | Joins can disappear later |
| Vanity URL | A branded, server-wide link | Not available below Level 3 | The main public link | One link for everyone, no source detail |
Choosing the Right Setup for Tracking
An invite tracker attributes a join by working out which invite was used, as explained in how to see who invited who on Discord. That only tells you something useful when each invite belongs to one source.
A practical setup looks like this:
- Keep the vanity URL, if you have one, as the main public link. It is memorable, but it cannot tell campaigns apart.
- Create one invite per campaign, partner, or recruiter. Use an expiry of up to 7 days for short campaigns. For longer ones, a Community Server can use a link that never expires and delete it when the campaign ends. Discord describes that option for Community Servers, so other servers can create a fresh 7-day invite for the same source each week.
- Leave temporary membership off for recruitment links. Joins that are later kicked on disconnect make recruiters look worse than they are.
For example, picture a Community Server that runs a month-long partner campaign alongside its public website link. The website shows the vanity URL. The partner gets its own invite, set to never expire, with a cap of 100 uses. When the month ends, an admin deletes it. The tracker's record of the partner link's joins then shows what that partnership brought in. The vanity URL's total covers the website and every other place the vanity link is shared.
The first-week tracking checklist covers the order to set this up in. For what to measure once links are live, see what to track on an invite leaderboard. For a broader view of tracker bots, see the invite tracker bots guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a permanent and a temporary Discord invite?
A permanent invite is one set to never expire. Discord uses temporary in two ways. A temporary link can mean one with a short expiry, such as 30 minutes. Grant temporary membership is a separate setting: people who join through that invite are kicked when they disconnect unless they have been given a role.
How long does a Discord invite last by default?
In the Discord app, a new invite shows a 7-day link by default, unless that channel's invite settings were changed before, according to Discord's Invites 101 article. Discord describes a link that never expires as an option if you are in a Community Server.
Do I need Discord Nitro for a vanity URL?
No. Nitro is a personal subscription. A vanity URL, which Discord calls a Custom Invite Link, is a server perk unlocked at Server Boost Level 3 (14 Boosts). If the server loses that level, Discord says the link is lost after 30 days.
Which invite setup works best with an invite tracker?
One distinct invite per campaign, partner, or recruiter. Use an expiry of up to 7 days, or no expiry for longer campaigns, and delete the link when the campaign ends. Each link then maps to one source. A vanity URL is a single server-wide link, so it cannot tell sources apart.