ShlinkvsApache SkyWalking
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Shlink | Apache SkyWalking | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 70/100 | 76/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 23 in URL Shortener | #2 of 9 in Application Performance Monitoring |
| GitHub stars | 5 381 | 24 976 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +78 | +2 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 13 | 3 |
| Latest release | v5.1.8 · 21 Oct 2026 | v11.0.0 · 28 Aug 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | PHP | Java |
Which one should you pick?
Apache SkyWalking 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 3 for Apache SkyWalking.
If you want the quickest setup, Shlink is easier to run; Apache SkyWalking needs more configuration.
Shlink is growing faster right now (+78 stars in 30 days).
Shlink details →Apache SkyWalking details →