YOURLS
Set of PHP scripts that will allow you to run Your Own URL Shortener. Features include password protection, URL customization, bookmarklets, statistics, API, plugins, jsonp.
Best self-hosted URL Shorteners software in 2026
URL shortening is the action of shortening a URL to make it substantially shorter and still direct to the required page. Before hosting one, please see disadvantages of URL shorteners.
We track 11 open-source, self-hosted URL Shorteners apps. 7 of them had commits in the last 90 days, 7 can run with Docker, and the most common licenses are MIT (8), CC0-1.0 (1), MPL-2.0 (1). The most-used languages are PHP, Nodejs, Rust. Below are the top picks by GitHub stars, followed by every app ranked by stars weighted by maintenance health.
Top 5 by GitHub stars
| # | App | Stars | Health | Last activity | License | Language | Docker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | YOURLS | 12.3k | Active | 2026-11-09 | MIT | PHP | – |
| 2 | Kutt | 11.2k | Active | 2026-10-19 | MIT | Nodejs, Docker | ✓ |
| 3 | Shlink | 5.4k | Active | 2026-11-07 | MIT | PHP, Docker | ✓ |
| 4 | Chhoto URL | 1k | Active | 2026-11-06 | MIT | Rust, Docker | ✓ |
| 5 | Flare | 138 | Active | 2026-11-10 | MIT | Docker, Nodejs | ✓ |
- YOURLS — Set of PHP scripts that will allow you to run Your Own URL Shortener. Features include password protection, URL customization, bookmarklets, statistics, API, plugins, jsonp.
- Kutt — Modern URL shortener with support for custom domains and custom URLs.
- Shlink — URL shortener with REST API and command line interface. Includes official progressive web application and docker images.
- Chhoto URL — Simple, lightning-fast URL shortener with no bloat (fork of simply-shorten).
- Flare — Nonbloated, modern, and highly configurable file/screenshot vault server with support for ShareX, Flameshot, and Spectacle. Offers OCR search and more.
Head-to-head comparisons
Kutt vs YOURLSShlink vs YOURLSKutt vs ShlinkChhoto URL vs YOURLSChhoto URL vs KuttChhoto URL vs Shlink
All 11 self-hosted URL Shorteners apps
Ranked by GitHub stars weighted by maintenance health.
Kutt
Modern URL shortener with support for custom domains and custom URLs.
Shlink
URL shortener with REST API and command line interface. Includes official progressive web application and docker images.
Chhoto URL
Simple, lightning-fast URL shortener with no bloat (fork of simply-shorten).
Flare
Nonbloated, modern, and highly configurable file/screenshot vault server with support for ShareX, Flameshot, and Spectacle. Offers OCR search and more.
bit
Fast, lightweight, resource-efficient, compiled URL shortener.
snowshare
File and link sharing platform with URL shortening, code snippet sharing, and file uploads, featuring customizable expiration, privacy settings, and QR codes.
Flink
Create QR Codes, embeddable link previews for your website and crawls/scrapes metadata.
rs-short
Lightweight link shortener written in Rust, with features such as caching, spambot protection and phishing detection.
Simple-URL-Shortener
KISS URL shortener, public or private (with account). Minimalist and lightweight. No dependencies.
clink
Super-minimal link shortening service written in pure C, focusing on small executable size, portability, and ease of configuration.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best self-hosted URL Shorteners software in 2026?
By GitHub stars, the most popular self-hosted URL Shorteners apps are YOURLS (12,302 stars), Kutt (11,197 stars), Shlink (5,417 stars). Popularity is only one signal: also check maintenance health, license and whether it fits your setup.
How many self-hosted URL Shorteners apps are actively maintained?
7 of the 11 apps listed had commits in the last 90 days and 2 more in the last 12 months.
Which self-hosted URL Shorteners apps can I run with Docker?
7 of the 11 apps can run with Docker.
Which licenses do self-hosted URL Shorteners apps use?
The most common licenses in this category are MIT (8 apps), CC0-1.0 (1 apps), MPL-2.0 (1 apps).
How much does it cost to self-host URL Shorteners software?
The software itself is free to download. Based on our rough hardware estimates, the cheapest suitable VPS plan starts at about $3.5/month (median $5/month across apps in this category). Several light apps can share one server.
Figures from GitHub and Docker Hub as of 2026-11-15; hosting costs are rough estimates.