Shlink Hosting Live In 5 Minutes

Deploy Shlink hosting and run a URL shortener on your own domain, with your link data in your own database. xCloud runs the pinned Shlink 5.1.5 API and Shlink web client 4.8.1 with a private PostgreSQL database, generates an API key and publishes the short-link service and the management dashboard over HTTPS on two domains. Add the key to the dashboard and start creating short links.

Deploy your Shlink

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

What is Shlink?

Shlink is a PHP-based self-hosted URL shortener that serves shortened URLs under your own domain. It adds a REST API for creating links from scripts, redirect rules, QR codes and per-visit analytics, and it has a separate web client for managing links. Self-hosted Shlink is the alternative to a hosted link shortener that keeps both the links and the visit data with you, under the MIT licence.

On xCloud it is Shlink 5.1.5 and web client 4.8.1 with PostgreSQL 15.14, all pinned by digest. The API and redirects use your primary domain, where short links sit at the root and the API under /rest, and the dashboard has its own second domain. The shlink_database volume holds links, visits and keys. Visit geolocation needs an optional GeoLite2 key.

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

Self-hosting Shlink normally means an API service, a web client on its own address, a PostgreSQL database, an API key, two domains and certificates before a single link is shortened. This is the same result without assembling any of it.

Step 01
Sign Up
Create your xCloud account and pick Shlink from the OneClick catalog. Choose a domain for short links and a second domain for the management dashboard, and optionally paste a MaxMind GeoLite2 licence key for visit geolocation.
Step 02
We Deploy It For You
One click. We bring up the pinned Shlink API, the Shlink web client and a private PostgreSQL database, mount shlink_database and shlink_data, generate the database credentials and an API key, and publish each site over HTTPS on its own domain.
Step 03
Connect The Dashboard And Shorten A Link
Open the dashboard domain, add a server using your short-link domain as the API base URL and the generated API key, then create a short URL and follow it on the short-link domain to confirm the redirect and the visit.

Everything Shlink Does, On Your Own Server

Shlink runs in full here — the same shorten, redirect and track workflow as any hosted link shortener, on infrastructure you control.

Branded Short URLs
Create short links on your own domain instead of a shared third-party shortener's brand.
Redirect Rules
Route the same short link to different destinations based on device, location or other conditions, rather than one fixed target.
QR Codes
Generate a QR code for any short URL directly from Shlink, ready to drop into print or a slide.
REST API For Scripted Links
Mint and manage short URLs programmatically from your own scripts and tools, not just the web client.
Per-Visit Analytics
See visit counts, referrers and geolocation for every short link, with geolocation once you add a GeoLite2 licence key from a free MaxMind account.
Separate Management Dashboard
The official Shlink web client runs on its own domain. Add your short-link domain and API key once, and manage links without exposing the API on the dashboard site.

Everything You Need To Run Your Private URL Shortener 24/7

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

Shlink 5.1.5 deployed instantly
Official pinned image digests
API key generated for you
PostgreSQL private to the install
Free SSL certificate
Server backups and snapshots
Server security updates included
30+ server locations
Unused balance refunded

What You Can Do With Shlink

Run branded short links
Use short URLs on your own domain for campaigns, newsletters and print, instead of a shared shortener's brand.
Create links from your own tools
Call the REST API with your API key to mint and manage short URLs from scripts and internal tools.
Put a QR code on print
Generate a QR code for any short URL, ready for a poster, a slide or packaging.
See who followed a link
Track visits per short link, with geolocation once you add a GeoLite2 licence key from a free MaxMind account.

Shlink vs Alternatives

Hosted link shorteners: A hosted shortener keeps your links and visit data on a vendor's servers. Self-hosted Shlink stores them in PostgreSQL on your own Cloud VPS, under your own domain.
YOURLS: YOURLS has its own OneClick page as another self-hosted shortener. Shlink separates the redirect service from a web client and exposes a REST API, as set up in this template.
Kutt: Kutt has its own OneClick page as a self-hosted shortener with its own management interface. Shlink keeps the dashboard on a second domain, apart from the redirects.
Chhoto URL: Chhoto URL has its own OneClick page as a small self-hosted shortener. Shlink adds QR codes, redirect rules and per-visit analytics backed by PostgreSQL.

Simple Pricing. Everything Included.

Dedicated Cloud VPS sizes, pre-configured for Shlink. Pick the one that fits, and resize any time.

Cloud VPS 6 GB

Cloud VPS 16 GB

Higher link volume and analytics retention.

$59.99per month

16 GB RAM
6 vCPU cores
200 GB NVMe SSD
30 TB
Unlimited

Get started

Cloud VPS 24 GB

Shlink alongside a whole self-hosted stack.

$84.99per month

24 GB RAM
8 vCPU cores
300 GB NVMe SSD
30 TB
Unlimited

Get started

Every size is a dedicated Cloud VPS we provision, patch, monitor and restore. Billed monthly with no lock-in — delete the server and the unused balance comes back to your account. Shlink itself is free under the MIT licence.

Docker hosting

Already Have a Server? Bring Your Own

Connect any VPS — DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, Hetzner or bare metal — and deploy Shlink on it through the same panel, for a per-server management fee instead of a Cloud VPS rental.

Free

Start your journey without cost.

$0forever

1 server
10 sites

Start free

Starter

Professional

The same platform, discounted at 6–10 servers.

$4per server / month

6–10 servers
Unlimited sites
All features included
Bring any VPS provider

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Agency

The same platform, discounted at 11+ servers.

$3per server / month

11+ servers
Unlimited sites
All features included
Bring any VPS provider

Get started

Priced per connected server, so your rate adjusts automatically as you add or remove servers. You pay your own provider for the server itself.

Self-managed hosting

Ready To Own Your URL Shortener?

Shlink on xCloud runs on a dedicated Cloud VPS that we provision, patch, monitor and restore. Deploy faster. Own the server. 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.

Can you self-host Shlink with Docker?

Yes. Upstream documents an official Docker image configured through environment variables, and this template is Shlink Docker hosting already set up: the API, web client and PostgreSQL pinned by digest, two volumes and two HTTPS domains. It is your own Shlink cloud link service.

How much RAM does Shlink need?

The template asks for 2048 MB of memory, 1 core and 10 GB of disk for the API, web client and database together. The 6 GB plan is the entry rung here. Demand follows link volume and how long you keep visit analytics, not the application itself.

Is Shlink free?

Yes, Shlink and its web client use the MIT licence, so the software costs nothing. xCloud bills the dedicated Cloud VPS, cancellable any time. A free MaxMind account supplies the optional GeoLite2 key for visit geolocation.

Why does Shlink use two domains?

The template serves the short-link and API service on the primary domain, with short links at the root, and the Shlink web client on a second domain for management. Each is reverse-proxied on its own hostname, so short links get the whole root of their domain.

How do I connect the Shlink dashboard?

Open the second domain, add a server, and enter your primary domain as the API base URL together with the generated API key from the installation credentials. Then create a short URL, follow it on the primary domain, and check that the visit appears.

Are Shlink short links public?

Yes, by design: anyone with a short link can follow the redirect, as with any shortener. The REST API is protected by the Shlink API key, but it answers CORS requests from any origin, so keep the key private and rotate it if it leaks.

Do I need a MaxMind licence key for Shlink?

No, it is optional. Without a GeoLite2 licence key from a free MaxMind account, Shlink installs and shortens links but records no visit geolocation. You can add the key later in the Environment editor and redeploy to switch geolocation on.

How do I rotate the Shlink API key?

Create a replacement API key inside Shlink first, update anything that uses the old one, and only then revoke the initial key. Changing INITIAL_API_KEY in the Environment editor after installation does not rotate an existing key, because it is read only on first initialisation.

How do I back up Shlink?

Back up shlink_database and shlink_data together. The database volume carries short links, visits, domains and API keys in PostgreSQL, and the data volume holds downloaded geolocation and runtime data. Use a PostgreSQL-consistent dump, and test restoring both into a spare install.

Backups in xCloud

How do I upgrade Shlink?

The install stays on pinned Shlink 5.1.5 and web client 4.8.1 until you adopt a newer template version. Back up both volumes, look through upstream's release notes, then redeploy and check a redirect and the dashboard. Nothing upgrades automatically.

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.