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.
Audit Snapshot
View notes βLicense 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
π‘ 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.
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:
π Deploy in 1 command
Recommended for beginnersCopy 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.shThis docker-compose corresponds to an actively maintained project β last commit today.
This docker-compose not working for you? Report it on GitHub βTechnical 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

Public image provided by Linkwarden on its own website.
πΎ 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 ./data2. 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.gzπ 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