SelfHostStackOpen-Source Directory

Why Migrate Away from Bitly & Linktree?

Commercial link shorteners like Bitly and Linktree charge exorbitant fees just to connect custom branding domains and limit your monthly redirection volume. Self-hosting Dub.co or Shlink gives you unlimited custom branded domains, sub-10ms redirection speeds, deep geographic/device analytics, programmatic REST APIs, and custom QR codes at zero per-click cost.

Top 2 Recommended Open-Source Replacements

Tested, self-contained, and production-ready. Click any tool to inspect verified docker-compose configurations, hardware sizing, and deployment guides.

Dub.co

AGPL-3.0⭐ 22.0k+

The modern open-source link management platform for marketing, attribution, and deep analytics.

Min RAM1 GB
Min CPU1 vCPU
GitHub Repo ↗

✅ Advantages

  • Industry-leading modern Next.js UI & telemetry dashboards
  • Unlimited custom domains and shortlinks
  • Built-in conversion and UTM tracking

⚠️ Trade-offs / Limitations

  • Requires PostgreSQL, Redis and Node runtime

Core Features

High-performance link redirection with global edge capabilities
Comprehensive analytics: referrers, UTM campaign tracking, device types, and geo-locations
Custom branded domains with automatic SSL certificate issuance
Built-in dynamic QR code generator with logo embedding and vector export
Comprehensive REST API and webhooks for automated link generation
📄 docker-compose.yml
Production Ready
version: '3.8'
services:
  dub:
    image: ghcr.io/dubinc/dub:latest
    restart: always
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    environment:
      - DATABASE_URL=postgresql://dub:dub123@dub-db:5432/dub
      - NEXTAUTH_SECRET=super-secret-auth-key-32-chars-long
      - NEXTAUTH_URL=https://dub.yourdomain.com
      - REDIS_URL=redis://dub-redis:6379
    depends_on:
      - dub-db
      - dub-redis
  dub-db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_DB=dub
      - POSTGRES_USER=dub
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=dub123
    volumes:
      - dub_pg_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
  dub-redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine
volumes:
  dub_pg_data:

🚀 5-Minute Deployment Guide

  1. 1Spin up a 2GB VPS on Hetzner or DigitalOcean.
  2. 2Install Docker and Docker Compose.
  3. 3Create folder mkdir -p ~/dub && cd ~/dub.
  4. 4Configure docker-compose.yml with your root short domain.
  5. 5Run docker compose up -d.
  6. 6Create your workspace and start generating branded shortlinks.

Recommended Cloud VPS for Dub.co

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Hetzner Cloud€3.79 / month

CX22 (2 vCPU, 4GB RAM, 40GB NVMe)

Fast network throughput handles millions of monthly click redirects.

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DigitalOcean.00 / month

Basic Droplet (1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 25GB SSD)

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Quick Specification Matrix

ToolLicenseMin RAMMin CPUGitHub RepoPrimary Advantage
Bitly & Linktree (Proprietary)Proprietary ClosedManaged CloudManaged CloudN/ATurnkey onboarding with vendor lock-in & paywalls
Dub.coAGPL-3.01 GB1 vCPUdubinc/dubIndustry-leading modern Next.js UI & telemetry dashboards
ShlinkMIT256 MB1 vCPUshlinkio/shlinkMinimal memory footprint (<200MB RAM)
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