Chhoto URL vs Sink
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted url shorteners options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Chhoto URL
Fast, lightweight and FOSS URL shortener in Rust
VS
Sink
Serverless URL shortener with built-in analytics
| Feature | Chhoto URL | Sink |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | ≈5-minute setup |
| Health score | 82 · Excellent | 91 · Excellent |
| Category | URL Shorteners | URL Shorteners |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Rust | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | source, one-click |
| GitHub stars | ★ 978 | ★ 7,155 |
| First released | 2023 | 2024 |
| Replaces | TinyURL, Bitly | Bitly |
What are Chhoto URL and Sink?
Chhoto URL
Chhoto URL is a simple, fast, and lightweight self-hosted URL shortener written in Rust, forked from Simply Shorten. It uses minimal resources and offers an optional public mode.
- Tiny Rust binary
- SQLite storage
- Optional public mode
- Simple REST API
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
Chhoto URL vs Sink: key differences
Chhoto URL is written in Rust, while Sink is built with Vue. Chhoto URL is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Sink. Sink has the considerably larger community, at 7,155 GitHub stars versus 978. Chhoto URL lists first-class Docker deployment; Sink does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Chhoto URL if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Rust
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 Chhoto URL or Sink better?
Neither is universally better. Sink has the larger community, while Chhoto URL is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Chhoto URL and Sink free and open-source?
Yes. Chhoto URL is licensed under MIT and Sink under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Chhoto URL and Sink with Docker?
Chhoto URL: yes. Sink: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Chhoto URL or Sink?
Chhoto URL has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Sink. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.