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9 top picks · 1 audience ranking

Best open source URL shorteners

The best open source URL shortener is Shlink (MIT, 5,378 GitHub stars, Docker image). YOURLS stands out for the longest track record (since 2012), and Kutt stands out for its JavaScript codebase.

This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: Shlink leads for freelancers.

Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily

Top picks

  1. Rank 1:

    Dub

    dubinc/dub.link

    Open-source link management and short links with conversion analytics.

    Active · last commit Oct 27, 2026

    URL ShortenersTypeScriptDocker

    Stands out for the most GitHub stars. Dub has 24,959 GitHub stars, uses a license appsgit could not verify, ships a Docker image and had 6,083 commits in the last year.

  2. Rank 2:

    Shlink

    shlinkio/shlink

    URL shortener with REST API and command line interface. Includes official progressive web application and docker images.

    Active · last commit Oct 24, 2026

    URL ShortenersPHPDocker

    Stands out for a permissive MIT license. Shlink has 5,378 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 296 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitly.

  3. Rank 3:

    YOURLS

    YOURLS/YOURLS

    YOURLS is a 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.

    Active · last commit Oct 27, 2026

    URL ShortenersPHP

    Stands out for the longest track record (since 2012). YOURLS has 12,289 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 127 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitly.

At a glance

Open source URL shorteners compared

Ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 9 apps in the URL shorteners category. Projects with fewer than 12 commits in the last 12 months rank below every more active project.

Top 9 picks compared, data as of Oct 28, 2026
AppStands out forLicenseGitHub starsCommits (12 mo)Last commitDocker image
Dubthe most GitHub starslicense unverified24,9596,083Oct 27, 2026Yes
Shlinka permissive MIT licenseMIT5,378296Oct 24, 2026Yes
YOURLSthe longest track record (since 2012)MIT12,289127Oct 27, 2026No
Kuttits JavaScript codebaseMIT11,17922Oct 19, 2026Yes
Chhoto URLits Rust codebaseMIT995404Oct 28, 2026Yes
snowshare–CC0-1.091886Oct 21, 2026Yes
Flare–MIT139144Oct 26, 2026Yes
bit–MIT10847Oct 5, 2026Yes
Simple-URL-Shortener–MIT600Aug 28, 2025No

1 of 2 · 9 picks

Top picks

9 of the 9 apps in the URL shorteners category.

  1. 1

    Dub

    Open-source link management and short links with conversion analytics.

    Stands out for the most GitHub stars. Dub has 24,959 GitHub stars, uses a license appsgit could not verify, ships a Docker image and had 6,083 commits in the last year.

  2. 2

    Shlink

    URL shortener with REST API and command line interface. Includes official progressive web application and docker images.

    Stands out for a permissive MIT license. Shlink has 5,378 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 296 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitly.

  3. 3

    YOURLS

    YOURLS is a 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.

    Stands out for the longest track record (since 2012). YOURLS has 12,289 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 127 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitly.

  4. 4

    Kutt

    Modern URL shortener with support for custom domains and custom URLs.

    Stands out for its JavaScript codebase. Kutt has 11,179 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 22 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitly.

  5. 5

    Chhoto URL

    Simple, lightning-fast URL shortener with no bloat (fork of simply-shorten).

    Stands out for its Rust codebase. Chhoto URL has 995 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 404 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitly.

  6. 6

    snowshare

    File and link sharing platform with URL shortening, code snippet sharing, and file uploads, featuring customizable expiration, privacy settings, and QR codes.

    snowshare has 91 GitHub stars, uses the CC0-1.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 886 commits in the last year.

  7. 7

    Flare

    A nonbloated, modern, and highly configurable file/screenshot vault server with support for ShareX, Flameshot, and Spectacle. Offers OCR search and more.

    Flare has 139 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 144 commits in the last year.

  8. 8

    bit

    Fast, lightweight, resource-efficient, compiled URL shortener.

    bit has 108 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 47 commits in the last year.

  9. 9

    Simple-URL-Shortener

    KISS URL shortener, public or private (with account). Minimalist and lightweight. No dependencies.

    Simple-URL-Shortener has 60 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and was last updated in August 2025; it replaces Bitly.

2 of 2 · 5 picks

Which open source URL shortener is best for freelancers?

For freelancers, Shlink ranks first (MIT, 5,378 GitHub stars), followed by Dub and Kutt. Ranked for freelancers on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits.

  1. 1

    Dub

    Open-source link management and short links with conversion analytics.

    Dub has 24,959 GitHub stars, uses a license appsgit could not verify, ships a Docker image and had 6,083 commits in the last year. For freelancers it also scores on a Docker image and a commit in the last 90 days.

  2. 2

    Shlink

    URL shortener with REST API and command line interface. Includes official progressive web application and docker images.

    Shlink has 5,378 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 296 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitly. For freelancers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  3. 3

    Kutt

    Modern URL shortener with support for custom domains and custom URLs.

    Kutt has 11,179 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 22 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitly. For freelancers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  4. 4

    YOURLS

    YOURLS is a 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.

    YOURLS has 12,289 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 127 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitly. For freelancers it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  5. 5

    Chhoto URL

    Simple, lightning-fast URL shortener with no bloat (fork of simply-shorten).

    Chhoto URL has 995 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 404 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitly. For freelancers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

FAQ

Questions and answers

Still curious? Email info@appsgit.com.

Is Dub free?

Dub's code is public on GitHub, but appsgit could not verify an open-source license for it. Read the license terms in the repository before you deploy it, especially for commercial use.

Can I self-host these URL shorteners with Docker?

Yes, 7 of the 9 picks. Dub, Shlink and Kutt publish Docker images, so you can run them on a VPS or home server with Docker Compose. The others install from their own packages or source; follow each project's install guide.

Are all of these URL shorteners open source?

8 of the 9 apps on this list are open source; 1 has a license appsgit could not verify. Source-available licenses add conditions, such as limits on hosted or commercial use, so read them before you deploy.

Which of these URL shorteners is the most actively developed?

Dub, with 6,083 commits in the last 12 months. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed.

How is this list ranked?

Ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 9 apps in the URL shorteners category. Projects with fewer than 12 commits in the last 12 months rank below every more active project.

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