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Marketing, Forms & Emailingdocker-readypermissive-license100% FOSS🟡 Standard · ~1GB

Shlink: Open Source alternative to Bitly in 2026

Shlink is a URL shortener server with a full REST API and per-link/per-domain click analytics, actively maintained as an unrestricted open source alternative to Bitly.

Alternative to BitlyAlternative to Rebrandly
License MIT5.3k starsWebsite GitHub Repository

Audit Snapshot

View notes →

  • License — Matches GitHub

  • GitHub — Active

  • Latest release — v5.1.7 · 21 days ago

  • Docker Compose — Not verified

  • Production — Not production-tested by AltFreeStack

Shlink vs. Bitly

Pros

  • Unrestricted MIT license
  • Very lightweight, maintained by a highly active developer

Things to consider

  • No official web UI bundled (uses a separate client app, Shlink Web Client)
  • Requires setting up the web client separately for a visual panel

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 →

💡 Official SaaS or self-hosted with AltFreeStack?

  • On the official cloud: a recurring monthly fee and usage limits on Bitly.
  • On your own VPS: 100% free software on your own server, with no artificial row, project or user limits.
docker-compose.yml
services:
  shlink:
    image: shlinkio/shlink:stable
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      DEFAULT_DOMAIN: localhost # CHANGE THIS TO YOUR DOMAIN
      IS_HTTPS_ENABLED: "false"
      DB_DRIVER: mysql
      DB_HOST: shlink-db
      DB_NAME: shlink
      DB_USER: shlink
      DB_PASSWORD: change-me-mysql-password # REQUIRED: generate a random secret before first run
    depends_on:
      - shlink-db
  shlink-db:
    image: mysql:8
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      MYSQL_DATABASE: shlink
      MYSQL_USER: shlink
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: change-me-mysql-password # must match DB_PASSWORD above
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: change-me-mysql-root-password # REQUIRED: generate a random secret before first run
    volumes:
      - shlink_db_data:/var/lib/mysql
volumes:
  shlink_db_data:

🚀 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 — no nano, no pasting code blocks.

curl -sSL ".../api/deploy?stack=shlink" -o deploy.sh && cat deploy.sh && bash deploy.sh
See what this script does →

This docker-compose corresponds to an actively maintained project — last commit today.

This docker-compose not working for you? Report it on GitHub →

Technical profile

License
MIT
Category
Marketing, Forms & Emailing
Replaces
Bitly, Rebrandly
Tech stack
PHPMySQL

Under the hood

Database

MySQL / PostgreSQL / SQLite

Language

PHP

Platforms

Web

Key features

  • Full REST API for your own integrations
  • Click analytics per link and per domain
  • Supports multiple custom domains on one instance
💾 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 — 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 — 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 — Automatic reverse proxy with Caddy

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

Create a file called Caddyfile:

yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:8080
}

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