Reduced.to 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 | Reduced.to | Sink |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | ≈5-minute setup |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 91 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | URL Shorteners | URL Shorteners |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | source, one-click |
| GitHub stars | ★ 705 | ★ 7,155 |
| First released | 2022 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Bitly, Rebrandly | Bitly |
What are Reduced.to and Sink?
Reduced.to
Reduced.to is an open-source URL shortener and link management platform with real-time analytics, QR codes, and password-protected links. It can be fully self-hosted.
- Real-time link analytics
- QR code generation
- Password-protected links
- Modern web UI
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
Reduced.to vs Sink: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Reduced.to's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Sink is actively maintained. Reduced.to is written in TypeScript, while Sink is built with Vue. Sink is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Reduced.to. Reduced.to is the more established project (first released 2022), while Sink arrived in 2024. Sink has the considerably larger community, at 7,155 GitHub stars versus 705. Reduced.to lists first-class Docker deployment; Sink does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Reduced.to if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
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 Reduced.to or Sink better?
Neither is universally better. Sink has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Reduced.to and Sink free and open-source?
Yes. Reduced.to is licensed under MIT and Sink under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Reduced.to and Sink with Docker?
Reduced.to: yes. Sink: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Reduced.to or Sink?
Sink has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Reduced.to. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.