Also called referral link
An affiliate link is a URL carrying a unique identifier so that sales resulting from it can be attributed and commissioned.
The identifier is usually a query parameter or a redirect through the programme's domain. Either way the link is longer, uglier and more obviously commercial than a plain one, which is why they are frequently shortened or hidden behind a page you control.
Owning the destination is the practical advice. Pointing your audience at a page you control, which then forwards to the affiliate link, means you can change programmes without every past post breaking.
Some platforms strip parameters or block known affiliate domains, so links that work in a browser sometimes fail in an app.
In practice
Linking to `yoursite.com/gear` rather than directly to a merchant lets you swap the underlying programme without touching a single old post.
Common mistake
Putting raw affiliate links in a bio. If the programme ends, every reference dies at once and nothing can be redirected.
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