bit vs clink
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted url shorteners options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
bit
Fast, lightweight, resource-efficient, compiled URL shortener
VS
clink
A super-minimal link shortening service written in pure C, focusing on
| Feature | bit | clink |
|---|---|---|
| Category | URL Shorteners | URL Shorteners |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Crystal | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 105 | — |
| First released | 2025 | 2020 |
| Replaces | — | — |
Why pick each one
Choose bit if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Crystal
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose clink if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Written in C
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is bit or clink better?
Neither is universally better. bit has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are bit and clink free and open-source?
Yes. bit is licensed under MIT and clink under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run bit and clink with Docker?
bit: yes. clink: check the project docs for container support.