ScissorLink

Free plan APISelf-hostedWebWindows

What ScissorLink is

ScissorLink is a free, MIT-licensed open-source URL shortener for turning long addresses into trackable links. Built with .NET 9 and React, it offers web, Windows, API, and self-hosted options. Users can supply custom short tokens or generate them automatically, then create, edit, delete, search, filter, paginate, and publish or unpublish links. Bulk operations are documented for handling thousands of links. Its redirect endpoint records click analytics covering country, device, browser, operating system, and activity over time. The React admin interface and documented API include link listing, creation, updating, deletion, and publishing. Production builds and Docker deployment are described, with SQL Server 2016 or later required; self-hosting also needs .NET SDK 9.0 or later and Node.js 18.0 or later. Listed protections include input validation, token sanitization, parameterized queries, configurable CORS, HTTPS enforcement, and safe error messages. MaxMind GeoIP2 supplies visitor country detection. Custom domains, QR codes, password-protected links, webhooks, and email reporting remain roadmap items.

Who it suits

ScissorLink suits developers and organizations wanting a free, self-hosted or API-enabled shortener with link administration and click analytics. It also suits teams comfortable with its documented .NET, Node.js, and SQL Server requirements.

What it does well

Free and licensed under the MIT License
Supports custom or automatic short tokens
Bulk operations handle thousands of links
Analytics include country, device, browser, and time series
Provides web, API, Windows, and self-hosted options

What to know first

Self-hosting requires .NET, Node.js, and SQL Server
Several features remain roadmap items
No released third-party integrations are listed
Deployment requires technical setup

Verdict

ScissorLink provides open-source link shortening, administration, APIs, bulk handling, and detailed click tracking without a listed price. Its self-hosting prerequisites and roadmap features should guide deployment planning.

Facts from ScissorLink's own pages

Admin dashboard: Its React admin interface supports link creation, editing, deletion, search, filtering, and pagination. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Analytics: The dashboard reports click counts, visitor countries, operating systems, browsers, and visit timing. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
API: Documented API endpoints support link listing, retrieval, creation, updating, deletion, publish toggling, and redirects with analytics tracking. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
API access: Yes · github.com, 20 Sept 2026
Bulk link creation: Yes · github.com, 20 Sept 2026
Bulk use: The README describes bulk operations for handling thousands of links efficiently. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
Custom links: Users can provide a custom token or have one generated automatically. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
Deployment: The project documents production builds and a Docker deployment example for its backend. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
Integrations: The README identifies MaxMind GeoIP2 for geolocation and lists React, Material-UI, Entity Framework, and SQL Server in the technology stack. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
Intended users: The README presents the software as an enterprise-grade URL shortener and provides self-hosting and development setup instructions. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
License: The repository says the project is licensed under the MIT License. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Limits: The README lists custom domains, QR codes, password-protected links, webhooks, and email reporting as roadmap items. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Link controls: Links can be managed through CRUD operations and toggled between published and unpublished states. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
Link management: It supports custom or automatically generated short tokens, draft and publish controls, and bulk operations. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Open source: The project is licensed under the MIT License. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
Product: ScissorLink is an open-source URL shortener built with .NET 9 and React. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Purpose: ScissorLink shortens long URLs into trackable links with an admin interface and analytics. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
Requirements: Self-hosting requires .NET SDK 9.0+, Node.js 18.0+, and SQL Server 2016+. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
Security: Documented safeguards include URL validation, token sanitization, parameterized queries, configurable CORS, HTTPS enforcement, and safe error messages. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
Support: The project directs users to its README and code comments, GitHub Issues, and GitHub Discussions for help. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026

Where ScissorLink stands on Freedom251

URL shorteners#125 of 156