NGINXvsShlink
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| NGINX | Shlink | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 84/100 | 70/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 12 in Web Servers | #3 of 23 in URL Shortener |
| GitHub stars | 32 003 | 5 383 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +279 | +80 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 21 | 13 |
| Latest release | release-1.31.8 · 21 Oct 2026 | v5.1.8 · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | MIT |
| Main language | C | PHP |
Which one should you pick?
NGINX scores 84/100 against 70/100 for Shlink, so it is the safer default.
NGINX ships more often: 21 stable releases in the past year, against 13 for Shlink.
If you want the quickest setup, Shlink is easier to run; NGINX needs more configuration.
NGINX is growing faster right now (+279 stars in 30 days).
NGINX details →Shlink details →
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