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Lstu

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What Lstu is

Lstu is a free, open-source URL shortening service whose name means “Let’s Shorten That Url.” A shortened address redirects to its destination, while a .json version can return that destination as JSON. The project is licensed under the WTFPL and is available for web, Linux, API, and self-hosted use. Installation instructions and Docker guidance support deployment, with SQLite, PostgreSQL, or MySQL available as database choices. Lstu is written in Perl using the Mojolicious framework. Its default short-code space contains 8,361,453,672 combinations, and the configured code length can be changed. Authenticated users can create links through the API, optionally choose custom shortened text, and request HTML or JSON responses. Statistics include shortened URLs, destinations, unique visits, per-link visit counts, and creation dates. Administrators can view links by popularity and delete them. The README identifies lstu.fr as an instance, where shortening is reserved for the site owner because of abuse.

Who it suits

Lstu suits people needing a self-hosted or API-driven URL shortener. It also fits administrators who want link statistics and configurable storage options.

What it does well

  • Free WTFPL-licensed software
  • Self-hosting and Docker guidance
  • Multiple database choices
  • Authenticated link-creation API
  • Per-link visit statistics

What to know first

  • API link creation requires login
  • Official instance reserves shortening to its owner
  • Administration requires configured admin password

Verdict

Lstu provides URL shortening with redirects, API creation, statistics, and self-hosting options. Its official instance limits shortening to the site owner, so deploying your own instance may be necessary for broader use.

Facts from Lstu's own pages

Administration
The API supports administrator login using a configured admin password and administrator-only link deletion. · lstu.fr, 13 Oct 2026
API
The API can shorten a URL and optionally accept custom shortened text. · lstu.fr, 13 Oct 2026
API access
Creating a short URL through the API requires the user to be logged in. · lstu.fr, 13 Oct 2026
API formats
API endpoints can return JSON when the optional format parameter is set to json; otherwise they return HTML. · lstu.fr, 13 Oct 2026
API link creation
The API supports authenticated link creation, with optional custom shortened text and JSON or HTML responses. · s.lstu.fr, 12 Oct 2026
API statistics
The authenticated statistics endpoint returns each shortened URL, its destination, and a counter of unique visits. · s.lstu.fr, 12 Oct 2026
Availability
The Lstu service page says URL shortening is reserved to the site owner because of abuse. · lstu.fr, 13 Oct 2026
Database options
The README says Lstu can use PostgreSQL or MySQL instead of SQLite. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Founded
2014 · framagit.org, 28 Sept 2026
Hosting
The project is listed under the Hat softwares group on Framagit; the project page identifies it as a URL shortening service. · framagit.org, 13 Oct 2026
Implementation
The README says Lstu is written in Perl and uses the Mojolicious framework. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
License
The Lstu service page says the software is licensed under WTFPL. · lstu.fr, 13 Oct 2026
Maintainer
The Lstu service page credits Luc Didry. · lstu.fr, 13 Oct 2026
Maker
The official instance credits Luc Didry. · s.lstu.fr, 12 Oct 2026
Official instance
The project README identifies lstu.fr as an instance where Lstu can be tried and used. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Open source license
The project README says Lstu is licensed under the WTFPL. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Per-link statistics
A per-link statistics endpoint provides visit count and creation-date details. · lstu.fr, 13 Oct 2026
Purpose
Lstu is a URL shortening service; its name means “Let’s Shorten That Url.” · framagit.org, 13 Oct 2026
Redirect behavior
A shortened URL can redirect to its target, and a JSON endpoint can return the target URL. · s.lstu.fr, 12 Oct 2026
Redirects
A shortened URL redirects to its target, and a .json variant returns the target URL in JSON. · lstu.fr, 13 Oct 2026
Self-hosting
The README links to installation instructions and Docker usage for deploying Lstu. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Short-code capacity
The README states there are 8,361,453,672 available code combinations by default, and the configured length can be changed. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Statistics
The statistics endpoint reports shortened URLs and their unique visit counts; administrators can view all URLs, sorted by most visited, in pages of 10. · lstu.fr, 13 Oct 2026

Where Lstu stands on Freedom251

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