# coredns vs Shlink

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | coredns | Shlink |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 76/100 ✓ | 70/100 |
| Rank in category | #5 of 41 in DNS | #3 of 23 in URL Shortener |
| GitHub stars | 14 399 ✓ | 5 380 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +56 | +77 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 10 | 13 ✓ |
| Latest release | v1.15.0 · 21 Oct 2026 | v5.1.8 · 21 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Go | PHP |

## Which one should you pick?

coredns scores 76/100 against 70/100 for Shlink, so it is the safer default.

Shlink ships more often: 13 stable releases in the past year, against 10 for coredns.

If you want the quickest setup, Shlink is easier to run; coredns needs more configuration.

## Details

- [coredns](https://selfhost.directory/project/coredns) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/coredns.md)
- [Shlink](https://selfhost.directory/project/shlink) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/shlink.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/coredns-vs-shlink