AltFreeStack
Productivitydocker-ready100% FOSS🟑 Standard · ~1GB

Linkwarden: Open Source alternative to Pocket in 2026

Linkwarden saves links along with an archived copy of each page (screenshots and PDF), organized into collaborative collections, as a self-hostable alternative to Pocket or Raindrop.io.

License AGPL-3.020.1k starsWebsite GitHub Repository

Audit Snapshot

View notes β†’
  • License β€” Matches GitHub

  • GitHub β€” Active

  • Latest release β€” v2.16.3 Β· 1 month ago

  • Docker Compose β€” Partial

  • Production β€” Not production-tested by AltFreeStack

Linkwarden vs. Pocket

Pros

  • Archives a full copy of the page, not just the link
  • Collections shared with other users

Things to consider

  • AGPL-3.0: a strong copyleft license, with source-sharing obligations for covered modified versions and certain network use, under its terms
  • Full page archiving uses significant storage

Quick Docker installation guide

Copy this docker-compose.yml, adjust the example passwords and run docker compose up -d on your server. See the full step-by-step guide β†’

πŸ’‘ Official SaaS or self-hosted with AltFreeStack?

  • On the official cloud: a recurring monthly fee and usage limits on Pocket.
  • On your own VPS: 100% free software on your own server, with no artificial row, project or user limits.
docker-compose.yml
services:
  linkwarden:
    image: ghcr.io/linkwarden/linkwarden:v2.16.3
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    environment:
      NEXTAUTH_SECRET: change-me-super-secret # REQUIRED: generate a random secret before first run
      NEXTAUTH_URL: http://localhost:3000 # CHANGE THIS TO YOUR DOMAIN
      DATABASE_URL: "postgresql://linkwarden:change-me-postgres-password@linkwarden-db:5432/linkwarden" # must match POSTGRES_PASSWORD below
    volumes:
      - linkwarden_data:/data/data
    depends_on:
      - linkwarden-db
  linkwarden-db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: linkwarden
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: change-me-postgres-password # REQUIRED: generate a random secret before first run
      POSTGRES_DB: linkwarden
    volumes:
      - linkwarden_pg_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
volumes:
  linkwarden_data:
  linkwarden_pg_data:

πŸš€ Deploy in 1 command

Recommended for beginners

Copy this single command and paste it into your freshly created VPS's console (Vultr, DigitalOcean...). It downloads the script, prints it to your screen so you can see exactly what it's about to do (never a blind direct pipe), and only then installs Docker if needed, writes the files with secrets already generated, and starts everything β€” no nano, no pasting code blocks.

curl -sSL ".../api/deploy?stack=linkwarden" -o deploy.sh && cat deploy.sh && bash deploy.sh

This docker-compose corresponds to an actively maintained project β€” last commit today.

This docker-compose not working for you? Report it on GitHub β†’

Technical profile

License
AGPL-3.0
Category
Productivity
Replaces
Pocket, Raindrop.io
Tech stack
Next.jsPostgreSQL

Under the hood

Database

PostgreSQL

Language

TypeScript (Next.js)

Platforms

Web Β· Mobile (iOS/Android) Β· Desktop (browser extension)

Key features

  • Saves links plus screenshots and PDF archives of each page
  • Organization via collaborative collections and tags
  • Browser extension and mobile apps

Preview

Linkwarden interface preview

Public image provided by Linkwarden on its own website.

πŸ’Ύ Backups in 3 steps (Day 2)

As long as the ./data folder (the "volume" mapped into the container) exists on your server, your data survives any restart or container update β€” that's the only thing you need to back up.

1. Create a compressed backup on the server

tar -czvf backup-$(date +%F).tar.gz ./data

2. Download it to your computer

From your computer's terminal (not your server's):

scp root@YOUR_IP:~/app/backup-*.tar.gz ./

3. Restore in case of emergency

tar -xzvf backup-file.tar.gz
🌐 Connect your domain with free SSL

Step 1 β€” Set up the DNS

In your domain registrar's dashboard (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy...), create a record:

Type
A
Name/Host
@ (root domain) or a subdomain, e.g. app
Content/Value
Your server's public IP

Wait 5 to 15 minutes for the record to propagate across the internet.

Step 2 β€” Automatic reverse proxy with Caddy

One single file, no Nginx config or manual certificates β€” Caddy issues and renews Let's Encrypt HTTPS on its own.

Create a file called Caddyfile:

yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:3000
}

Start Caddy with this command (pulls the image and runs it in the background):

docker run -d -p 80:80 -p 443:443 --name caddy --restart always -v $PWD/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile -v caddy_data:/data caddy