Shlink Web Client 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 | Shlink Web Client | Sink |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | ≈5-minute setup |
| Health score | 78 · Good | 91 · Excellent |
| Category | URL Shorteners | URL Shorteners |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | source, one-click |
| GitHub stars | ★ 398 | ★ 7,155 |
| First released | 2018 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Bitly | Bitly |
What are Shlink Web Client and Sink?
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
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
Shlink Web Client vs Sink: key differences
Shlink Web Client is written in TypeScript, while Sink is built with Vue. Shlink Web Client is the more established project (first released 2018), while Sink arrived in 2024. Sink has the considerably larger community, at 7,155 GitHub stars versus 398. Shlink Web Client lists first-class Docker deployment; Sink does not.
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 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 Shlink Web Client or Sink better?
Neither is universally better. Sink has the larger community, while Shlink Web Client is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Shlink Web Client and Sink free and open-source?
Yes. Shlink Web Client is licensed under MIT and Sink under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Shlink Web Client and Sink with Docker?
Shlink Web Client: yes. Sink: check the project docs for container support.