ShieldsvsSlink
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Shields | Slink | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 80/100 | 59/100 |
| Rank in category | #6 of 166 in Developer Tools | #1 of 9 in Image Management |
| GitHub stars | 27 331 | 1 614 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +125 | +23 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 20 |
| Latest release | — | v1.14.4 · 24 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | JavaScript | PHP |
Which one should you pick?
Shields scores 80/100 against 59/100 for Slink, so it is the safer default.
Slink ships more often: 20 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Shields.
If you want the quickest setup, Shields is easier to run; Slink needs more configuration.
Shields is growing faster right now (+125 stars in 30 days).
Shields details →Slink details →