Chhoto URL vs YOURLS
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
YOURLS
Your own URL shortener with stats and plugins
| Feature | Chhoto URL | YOURLS |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 82 · Excellent | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | URL Shorteners | URL Shorteners |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Rust | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 978 | ★ 12,243 |
| First released | 2023 | 2009 |
| Replaces | TinyURL, Bitly | Bitly |
What are Chhoto URL and YOURLS?
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
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
Chhoto URL vs YOURLS: key differences
Chhoto URL is written in Rust, while YOURLS is built with PHP. Chhoto URL is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for YOURLS. YOURLS is the more established project (first released 2009), while Chhoto URL arrived in 2023. YOURLS has the considerably larger community, at 12,243 GitHub stars versus 978.
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 YOURLS if…
- Mature and stable
- Rich plugin ecosystem
Watch out for
- Dated admin interface
Frequently asked questions
Is Chhoto URL 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 Chhoto URL and YOURLS free and open-source?
Yes. Chhoto URL is licensed under MIT and YOURLS under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Chhoto URL and YOURLS with Docker?
Chhoto URL: yes. YOURLS: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Chhoto URL or YOURLS?
Chhoto URL has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for YOURLS. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.