Lstu vs Sink
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted url shorteners options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Lstu | Sink |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | ≈5-minute setup |
| Category | URL Shorteners | URL Shorteners |
| License | WTFPL | MIT |
| Language | Perl | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | source, one-click |
| GitHub stars | ★ 200 | ★ 7,155 |
| First released | 2014 | 2024 |
| Replaces | TinyURL, Bitly | Bitly |
What are Lstu and Sink?
Lstu
Lstu is a free, lightweight URL shortener written in Perl that focuses on simplicity and privacy. It can shorten links and optionally make them expire after a set time.
- Simple ephemeral links
- Privacy-focused
- Lightweight Perl app
- API support
Sink
Sink is a fast and minimal URL shortener built to run on Cloudflare Workers and KV but also self-hostable. It includes link analytics powered by an analytics engine.
- Built-in link analytics
- Minimal fast redirects
- Edge deployment
- Clean dashboard
Lstu vs Sink: key differences
Lstu is written in Perl, while Sink is built with Vue. Licensing differs — WTFPL for Lstu versus MIT for Sink. Lstu is the more established project (first released 2014), while Sink arrived in 2024. Sink has the considerably larger community, at 7,155 GitHub stars versus 200. Lstu lists first-class Docker deployment; Sink does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Lstu if…
- Released under the WTFPL license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Perl
Choose Sink if…
- Released under the MIT license
- One-click install on common self-host platforms
- Mature project with 7.2k GitHub stars
- Written in Vue
Frequently asked questions
Is Lstu or Sink better?
Neither is universally better. Sink has the larger community, while Lstu is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Lstu and Sink free and open-source?
Yes. Lstu is licensed under WTFPL and Sink under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Lstu and Sink with Docker?
Lstu: yes. Sink: check the project docs for container support.