Your own Shlink instance: short links you control, that keep working because you own the far end.

Early Access

This app is a brand-new addition to ElfHosted, and is considered beta. It runs, we test it, and your trial lets you prove it fits before you commit, but our support team does not yet have deep experience with it. Expect some trial and error: lean on the upstream documentation, experiment freely, and share what you learn in Discord, where the community and team are figuring these new apps out together. If you need a battle-tested workflow today, our established apps are the safer pick.

What is Shlink?

Shlink is a URL shortener with a proper dashboard and a proper API. Shorten a link, give it a memorable slug, tag it, and watch the visits come in. Links can expire on a date or a visit count, send phone and desktop visitors to different places, and every one of them has a QR code ready to print.

Key Features

• Custom slugs: Choose the short bit yourself, or let Shlink pick.
• Visit stats: Counts over time, referrers, and what kind of device followed the link.
• Tags: Group links by campaign, project or client.
• Device redirects: Send Android, iOS and desktop visitors to different destinations.
• Expiry rules: Retire a link on a date, or after a number of visits.
• QR codes: Generated for any short link, at the size you need.
• REST API: Create and query links from your own scripts.

Why Run Shlink on ElfHosted?

A short link is a promise that an address will still resolve months later, which is the one job a shortener cannot afford to miss. ElfHosted keeps yours up, updated and backed up daily.

• Managed and maintained: Your instance is provisioned in minutes, kept updated, and backed by friendly humans on Discord.
• One dashboard: Sits alongside the rest of your ElfHosted subscription, no servers to run yourself.
• Persistent and backed up: Your data survives restarts and upgrades, with a daily backup.
• Simple subscription: One flat monthly price with a 7-day trial, cancel anytime.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I log in?
Your Shlink comes with two web addresses. The dashboard one sits behind your ElfHosted login, and it holds your API key for you, so the key never reaches your browser. The short-link one is public, because a short link that asked strangers to log in would be no use to anyone.

So who can follow my short links?
Anyone you send them to, which is the point. The public address serves the redirects, the robots file and the REST API, and the API is gated by your API key. Your dashboard, your link list and your stats stay behind your ElfHosted login.

Can I use the API from my own scripts?
Yes, against the public address with your API key. You can read the key from the dashboard when you need it.

Are visitor locations shown?
No. Geolocation needs a third-party IP database that is not part of this version, so stats cover visit counts, referrers and device types. Page titles are not fetched automatically either, so name your links yourself.

How much traffic will it take?
It is sized for personal and small-team use: a SQLite database and a single web worker. It is not built to be a high-volume redirect service.