42links vs ArchiveBox
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted bookmarks & read-it-later options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
42links
Bookmarking server supporting multiple accounts
VS
ArchiveBox
Self-hosted web archiving from bookmarks and feeds
| Feature | 42links | ArchiveBox |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Bookmarks & Read-It-Later | Bookmarks & Read-It-Later |
| License | BSD-3-Clause-No-Military-License | MIT |
| Language | CommonLisp | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | — | ★ 28,079 |
| First released | 2020 | 2017 |
| Replaces | — |
Why pick each one
Choose 42links if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause-No-Military-License license
- Written in CommonLisp
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose ArchiveBox if…
- Thorough page preservation
- Imports from many sources
- Open formats
Frequently asked questions
Is 42links or ArchiveBox better?
Neither is universally better. ArchiveBox has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are 42links and ArchiveBox free and open-source?
Yes. 42links is licensed under BSD-3-Clause-No-Military-License and ArchiveBox under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run 42links and ArchiveBox with Docker?
42links: check the project docs for container support. ArchiveBox: yes.