Kutt vs Slash
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted url shorteners options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Slash
Open-source, self-hosted bookmarks and link shortener
| Feature | Kutt | Slash |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 69 · Good |
| Category | URL Shorteners | URL Shorteners |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,117 | ★ 3,180 |
| First released | 2017 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Bitly, TinyURL | Bitly, go links |
What are Kutt and Slash?
Kutt
Kutt is a free and open-source URL shortener with a clean interface, custom domains, link expiration, and detailed statistics. It offers both a web UI and a REST API.
- Custom domains and slugs
- Link expiration
- Visit statistics
- Public REST API
Slash
Slash is an open-source, self-hosted platform for sharable links and bookmarks. It lets teams create short, memorable links and organize collections of resources.
- Shareable short links
- Bookmark collections
- Team workspaces
- Browser extension
Kutt vs Slash: key differences
Kutt is written in JavaScript, while Slash is built with TypeScript. Slash is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Kutt. Kutt is the more established project (first released 2017), while Slash arrived in 2023. Kutt has the considerably larger community, at 11,117 GitHub stars versus 3,180.
Why pick each one
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 Kutt or Slash better?
Neither is universally better. Kutt has the larger community, while Slash is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Kutt and Slash free and open-source?
Yes. Kutt is licensed under MIT and Slash under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kutt and Slash with Docker?
Kutt: yes. Slash: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Kutt or Slash?
Slash has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Kutt. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.