Lstu vs YOURLS
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted url shorteners options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
YOURLS
Your own URL shortener with stats and plugins
| Feature | Lstu | YOURLS |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | URL Shorteners | URL Shorteners |
| License | WTFPL | MIT |
| Language | Perl | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 200 | ★ 12,243 |
| First released | 2014 | 2009 |
| Replaces | TinyURL, Bitly | Bitly |
What are Lstu and YOURLS?
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
YOURLS
YOURLS is a small set of PHP scripts that lets you run your own URL shortening service with click statistics, a plugin system, and a developer API. It is one of the most popular self-hosted shorteners.
- Custom and random short URLs
- Click statistics
- Plugin architecture
- Developer API
Lstu vs YOURLS: key differences
Lstu is written in Perl, while YOURLS is built with PHP. Licensing differs — WTFPL for Lstu versus MIT for YOURLS. YOURLS is the more established project (first released 2009), while Lstu arrived in 2014. YOURLS has the considerably larger community, at 12,243 GitHub stars versus 200.
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 YOURLS if…
- Mature and stable
- Rich plugin ecosystem
Watch out for
- Dated admin interface
Frequently asked questions
Is Lstu or YOURLS better?
Neither is universally better. YOURLS has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Lstu and YOURLS free and open-source?
Yes. Lstu is licensed under WTFPL and YOURLS under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Lstu and YOURLS with Docker?
Lstu: yes. YOURLS: yes.