BackstagevsShlink
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Backstage | Shlink | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 79/100 | 70/100 |
| Rank in category | #8 of 166 in Developer Tools | #3 of 23 in URL Shortener |
| GitHub stars | 34 737 | 5 381 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +55 | +78 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 14 | 13 |
| Latest release | v1.57.0-next.0 · 27 Oct 2026 | v5.1.8 · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Typescript | PHP |
Which one should you pick?
Backstage scores 79/100 against 70/100 for Shlink, so it is the safer default.
Backstage ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 13 for Shlink.
If you want the quickest setup, Shlink is easier to run; Backstage needs more configuration.
Backstage details →Shlink details →