Chhoto URL Hosting Live In 5 Minutes

Chhoto URL hosting on xCloud gives you a self-hosted URL shortener on your own domain. Deploy Chhoto URL in one click and xCloud brings up the pinned image, a persistent SQLite volume and HTTPS, and generates the administrator password and API key. Sign in, create a short link and share links that redirect instantly, expire when you choose and count hits without tracking visitors.

Deploy your Chhoto URL

No terminal
No technical skills needed
No lock-in, cancel anytime

What is Chhoto URL?

Self-hosted Chhoto URL is a simple URL shortener with no unnecessary features, written in Rust with a plain HTML and vanilla JavaScript frontend. It shortens URLs to random links or ones you name, expires links after a chosen time, counts hits in a privacy-respecting way, attaches notes to links and generates QR codes. Upstream says it uses under 10 MB of RAM in regular use. It is an alternative to Bitly or TinyURL on your own domain, and it is MIT licensed.

On xCloud the template runs sintan1729/chhoto-url 7.5.1-alpine, pinned by immutable digest, with SQLite in WAL mode, published through xCloud's nginx on your domain with HTTPS. xCloud generates a 32-character administrator password and a separate 64-character API key. Links live on the chhoto_data volume. Public link creation stays disabled by default, there is no user management, and the password is the only gate to the dashboard.

From Sign-Up to a Live Chhoto URL In Just 3 Easy Steps

Self-hosting Chhoto URL normally means containers, a database, a domain and a certificate before anything works. This is the same result without assembling any of it.

Step 01
Sign Up
Create your xCloud account and pick Chhoto URL from the OneClick catalog. Takes 30 seconds — no server to prepare.
Step 02
We Deploy It For You
One click. We bring up Chhoto URL 7.5.1, pinned by immutable digest, with SQLite in WAL mode, mount the chhoto_data volume, generate the administrator password and API key and publish it over HTTPS.
Step 03
Start Using It
Open your HTTPS URL, sign in with the generated administrator password, create a short link to a test destination and check that it redirects. Then edit, expire or delete it from the dashboard.

Everything Chhoto URL Does, On Your Own Server

Chhoto URL runs in full here — the same features as any hosted offering, with the data on infrastructure you control.

Expiring Short Links
Links expire automatically after a chosen time, so a campaign link or a shared document stops resolving when you meant it to.
Hit Counts Without Tracking
Each short link counts its hits in a privacy-respecting way: only the hit is recorded, and nothing else about the visitor.
Your Own Short URLs
Let the app generate a random short link, or optionally specify the short URL yourself. Opening it redirects instantly with no interstitial page.
QR Codes And Notes
Generate a QR code for any short link and attach custom notes, then filter the dashboard by short link, long link or note.
JSON API With A Key
Authenticated JSON requests use the API key xCloud generates for the installation, so scripts can create and manage links. Keep the key private.
Tiny SQLite Footprint
Links live in an SQLite database on the chhoto_data volume. Upstream says the app uses under 10 MB of RAM in regular use.

Everything You Need To Run Your Service 24/7

Managed hosting for Chhoto URL, so the parts that keep it online are not your problem.

Chhoto URL deployed instantly
Image pinned by immutable digest
Admin password and API key generated
Free SSL certificate
Server backups and snapshots
Server security updates included
30+ server locations
Unused balance refunded

What You Can Do With Chhoto URL

Run a self-hosted URL shortener
Put short links on your own domain instead of a third-party one. Create them from the dashboard, edit the destination later, and keep every link and its hit count on a server you own.
Share links that expire
Set a link to expire after a chosen time, so a launch-day URL or a document shared with a client stops redirecting once its window has passed, with no manual cleanup.
Print QR codes for short links
Generate a QR code for a short link and put it on a poster, receipt or slide. Because destinations are editable, the printed code can keep working after the target page moves.
Create links from your own scripts
Send authenticated JSON requests with the generated API key to create and manage short links from a deploy script, a CMS hook or an internal tool, without opening the dashboard.

Chhoto URL vs Alternatives

Bitly: Bitly is a hosted link shortener. Chhoto URL runs on your own domain, edits destinations after creation, expires links and counts hits in a privacy-respecting way, with every link stored in your own SQLite database.
TinyURL: TinyURL is another hosted shortening service. With Chhoto URL you choose the short URL if you like, redirects are instant with no interstitial page, and upstream says it will never add tracking or spying.
YOURLS: YOURLS is a self-hosted URL shortener, also available on xCloud. Chhoto URL's stated aim is simplicity and speed: a Rust binary with SQLite, no user management and no cookies, popups or paywalls.
Shlink: Shlink is a self-hosted URL shortener on xCloud. Chhoto URL deliberately stays small, with a scratch image under 4.5 MB compressed upstream, and leaves out user management for organisation-wide setups.

Ready To Own Your Setup?

Chhoto URL on xCloud runs on a dedicated Cloud VPS that we provision, patch, monitor and restore. Deploy faster. Own your data. Stay in control.

Fast Provisioning
Deploy faster using an xCloud Managed Server built with optimized stacks and high-speed SSDs.
Enterprise-grade security
Protect your infrastructure with a free SSL certificate and more advanced security features at no additional cost.
Intuitive Control Panel
From Server creation to application deployment, everything can be managed from our intuitive control panel.

Hear what people are saying about us

See why agencies, developers, startups, and growing businesses choose xCloud to power their projects.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.

How do I self-host Chhoto URL with Docker?

This template does it for you. Chhoto URL Docker hosting here means the sintan1729/chhoto-url 7.5.1-alpine image pinned by immutable digest, one named volume at /data, generated credentials and HTTPS on your domain, and no compose file to maintain.

Does Chhoto URL support expiring links?

Yes. Upstream lists automatic expiry of links after a chosen time, and it can also force an expiry time on public instances. This template keeps public link creation disabled by default, so you set expiry when you create links while signed in.

Does Chhoto URL have an API?

Yes. Upstream provides a JSON API, and this template generates a separate 64-character API key for each installation. Send authenticated JSON requests with that key, keep it private, and note that changing it in the Environment editor does not rotate an existing key.

How do I back up Chhoto URL?

Take a backup of the complete chhoto_data volume. It holds the SQLite database at /data/urls.sqlite plus its -wal and -shm companion files while WAL mode is active. Stop writes or use an SQLite-aware snapshot before copying, and test a restore separately.

Backups in xCloud

How do I update Chhoto URL?

The image is pinned by immutable digest and a repository re-sync affects new installations only, so xCloud does not upgrade Chhoto URL for you. Read the upstream release notes, back up the whole volume including WAL files, and recreate the container without deleting the volume.

What is the difference between Chhoto URL and YOURLS?

Chhoto URL is built for simplicity and speed: a Rust app with SQLite, no user management, no cookies and hit counts that record only the hit. YOURLS is a separate project with its own feature set, so read its documentation to compare.

Can Chhoto URL generate QR codes?

Yes. Upstream lists QR code generation for easy sharing of any short link. You also get custom notes on links, filtering by short link, long link or note, a mobile-friendly interface and automatic dark mode in the dashboard.

How much RAM does Chhoto URL need?

The manifest asks for 128 MB of RAM, one CPU core and 1 GB of disk, and upstream says regular use stays under 10 MB. Chhoto URL cloud hosting begins at xCloud's 6 GB tier, well past that, so the server has room for other apps too.

Is Chhoto URL free?

Yes. Chhoto URL is open source under the MIT licence, so the software carries no fee. The xCloud bill is for the Cloud VPS holding your links, billed monthly with no lock-in, and the app itself is tiny enough to share that server.

Can anyone create short links on my Chhoto URL?

Not by default. Public link creation is disabled, and the dashboard needs the generated administrator password. Upstream has an optional public mode where anyone can add links, but listing and deleting still need the password. This template does not enable it.

Is xCloud officially partnered with Chhoto URL?

No. xCloud and the Chhoto URL project are independent of each other. xCloud hosts the shortener on a server you rent, while questions about link behaviour, public mode and its API belong with the upstream project's documentation.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. There is no lock-in — cancel any time. Hosting is billed monthly and charged for what you actually use, so when you delete the server the unused balance is refunded to your account, less up to 10% in payment-processing fees.