Shlink is a self-hosted, open-source URL shortener that empowers users to create and manage shortened links under their own domains with advanced analytics and privacy controls.

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🚀 Overview

Shlink is a robust, PHP-based self-hosted URL shortener designed as a privacy-respecting alternative to third-party services like Bitly or TinyURL. It allows you to serve shortened URLs on your custom domains while providing detailed visit tracking, custom slugs, and powerful integrations.

The project solves key pain points: dependency on external services that harvest user data, limited customization, and lack of advanced features like geolocation-based redirects or GDPR-compliant IP anonymization. By self-hosting, users retain full control over their links and analytics.

It's built for developers, self-hosting enthusiasts, sysadmins, and teams who value open-source tools, data sovereignty, and seamless API/CLI integration into workflows.

Shlink was developed to fill the gap in self-hosted shorteners by offering enterprise-grade features like real-time updates, multi-domain support, and bot detection in a lightweight, Docker-friendly package.

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✨ Key Features

• URL shortening with custom human-readable slugs (including multi-segment and emojis), tags for organization, and limited access by date/visits (flexible, brandable links with control)

• Advanced analytics: anonymized visit stats, geolocation, browser/device detection, referrers, bot filtering, and dynamic redirects based on location, language, or device (actionable insights without privacy invasion)

• API-first architecture with role-based API keys, full REST API for integrations, plus CLI for serverless management (easy extensibility for apps and scripts)

• Progressive Web App (PWA) client for multi-instance management, beautiful charts, QR code generation (intuitive UI across devices)

• Optional: Real-time updates via Mercure/RabbitMQ, imports from Bitly/YOURLS, multi-DB support

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🛠 Tech Stack

• Frontend: React, TypeScript (shlink-web-client PWA, built with Vite)

• Backend: PHP 8.4+, Mezzio (Laminas), Symfony Console, RoadRunner server

• Database: MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite, Microsoft SQL Server

• Cache/Locks: APCu, Redis/Valkey

• Auth: API keys with granular roles

• Hosting: Docker (official multi-arch images), self-hosted dist

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👥 Who Is This For?

This project is useful for:

• Developers who want to ___ embed URL shortening and analytics via API into custom apps

• Teams looking for ___ GDPR-compliant, self-hosted link tracking without third-party dependencies

• Indie makers building ___ personal brands with custom domains and QR codes

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📸 Screenshots / Demo

• Live demo: https://app.shlink.io

• GitHub: https://github.com/shlinkio/shlink

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🔥 Project Status

• 🟢 Actively building

Last updated: 2026-03-24

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❓ FAQ

Is this project free?

Yes / Open Source

(100% free under MIT license; no paid tiers or limits.)

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Is the source code available?

Yes — link to repository

https://github.com/shlinkio/shlink (core) and https://github.com/shlinkio/shlink-web-client (frontend)

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Can I contribute?

Yes, by opening issues, submitting pull requests, or joining discussions on GitHub. With 23 contributors and 4.8k stars, the community welcomes improvements, bug fixes, and feature ideas.

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📬 Contact & Links

• Website: https://shlink.io

• GitHub: https://github.com/shlinkio

• Twitter/X: N/A (use GitHub for support)

• Email: N/A (GitHub issues recommended)

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