Shlink Web Client vs spoo.me
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted url shorteners options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Shlink Web Client | spoo.me |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 78 · Good | 76 · Good |
| Category | URL Shorteners | URL Shorteners |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 398 | ★ 251 |
| First released | 2018 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Bitly | Bitly, Cuttly |
What are Shlink Web Client and spoo.me?
Shlink Web Client
Shlink Web Client is the official browser-based interface for managing one or more Shlink servers. It provides link creation, analytics dashboards, and tag management.
- Manage multiple Shlink servers
- Visual analytics dashboards
- Tag and domain management
- No backend of its own
spoo.me
spoo.me is an open-source, self-hostable URL shortener that produces short links with detailed click statistics and optional password protection. It can be deployed quickly with a Python web stack.
- Detailed click stats
- Password-protected links
- Emoji short codes
- REST API
Shlink Web Client vs spoo.me: key differences
Shlink Web Client is written in TypeScript, while spoo.me is built with Python. Shlink Web Client is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for spoo.me. Shlink Web Client is the more established project (first released 2018), while spoo.me arrived in 2023.
Why pick each one
Choose Shlink Web Client if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
Choose spoo.me if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is Shlink Web Client or spoo.me better?
Neither is universally better. Shlink Web Client has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Shlink Web Client and spoo.me free and open-source?
Yes. Shlink Web Client is licensed under MIT and spoo.me under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Shlink Web Client and spoo.me with Docker?
Shlink Web Client: yes. spoo.me: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Shlink Web Client or spoo.me?
Shlink Web Client has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for spoo.me. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.