clink vs Slash
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?
clink
A super-minimal link shortening service written in pure C, focusing on
VS
Slash
Open-source, self-hosted bookmarks and link shortener
| Feature | clink | Slash |
|---|---|---|
| Category | URL Shorteners | URL Shorteners |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | C | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | — | ★ 3,169 |
| First released | 2020 | 2023 |
| Replaces | — | Bitly, go links |
Why pick each one
Choose clink if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Written in C
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose Slash if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.2k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is clink or Slash better?
Slash is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider clink if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are clink and Slash free and open-source?
Yes. clink is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Slash under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run clink and Slash with Docker?
clink: check the project docs for container support. Slash: yes.