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Shlink

A self-hosted, open-source URL shortener with a REST API, CLI and progressive web client.

Open sourceSelf-hostableLink management tools
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About Shlink

Shlink is a self-hosted URL shortener for people who want short links on their own domains without paying per link. You run it yourself from a release file or Docker image, then create and manage links through its REST API, the command line or the official Shlink web client, a progressive web app that can manage several Shlink instances at once. It supports multiple domains, custom slugs, tags, QR codes, expiry dates and visit limits, and it collects anonymised visit statistics with geolocation. Integrations and community tools connect it to other services. Shlink is written in PHP, distributed under the MIT licence and developed in the open on GitHub. It is free; your only costs are hosting. It suits developers and organisations that care about owning their link data and redirects. Setting it up needs some comfort with servers or containers, and there is no hosted, managed version with support from the project.

Best for: Developers who want branded short links on their own servers with a good API.

Pros and cons

What works

  • Free and MIT-licensed
  • Docker image for easy deployment
  • REST API, CLI and web client
  • Multiple domains per instance

Why people leave

  • You run and maintain the server
  • No managed hosted version
  • Analytics simpler than commercial tools

Top Shlink alternatives

See all 5
  1. 1YOURLS logo
    YOURLS

    The other popular self-hosted shortener, with a large plugin ecosystem.

    66.5
  2. 2Kutt logo
    Kutt

    Open source with a friendlier web UI and an optional hosted service.

    62.6
  3. 3Dub logo
    Dub

    Open source with a hosted service, conversion tracking and team features.

    59.6
  4. 4Sink logo
    Sink

    Serverless on Cloudflare instead of your own server.

    57.2
  5. 5Short.io logo
    Short.io

    A hosted option with custom domains if you'd rather not run a server.

    55.3

Why people left Shlink

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

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Shlink: common questions

Is Shlink free?

Yes. Shlink is free, open-source software that you can host yourself.

Is Shlink open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at shlinkio/shlink. You can also run it on your own server.

What platforms does Shlink run on?

Shlink is available for Self-hosted and Web.

What are the best alternatives to Shlink?

The highest-ranked Shlink alternatives right now are YOURLS, Kutt and Dub. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 5 Shlink alternatives