Zly

Web · Linux · Self-hosted · API

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Freedom report

One barScore 5.9

Runs widely2 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

Zly is ranked #131 of 156 in URL shorteners on Freedom251. It runs on API, Linux, Self-hosted, Web.

Compared on URL shorteners

Custom domains: Yes
API access: Yes
Bulk link creation: Yes

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The record

Product: Zly describes itself as an open-source URL shortener and marketing platform that can be self-hosted.
Short links: Links support custom slugs, password protection, scheduled activation or expiry, and bulk import or export.
Analytics: Per-link and workspace dashboards show clicks over time, browser, operating system, device, and top referrers.
QR codes: Zly generates QR codes for links, with PNG and SVG downloads and customizable colors.
Marketing features: The feature list includes link-in-bio pages, weighted A/B testing, and email campaigns with open and click tracking.
Teams: Multi-user workspaces include owner and member roles and an invitation flow.
API: Zly provides a REST API with auto-generated OpenAPI documentation and workspace-scoped API keys.
Authentication integrations: The API overview lists OAuth login through Google and GitHub.
Security: The project lists bcrypt password hashing, JWT authentication with refresh tokens, rate limiting, CSRF protection, and CSP and HSTS security headers.
Self-hosting: The deployment guide covers VPS, Railway, Render, and Vercel deployments; the VPS setup uses Docker Compose and Caddy for automatic HTTPS.
Deployment limitation: The deployment guide says SQLite does not work on Vercel because its filesystem is read-only, so PostgreSQL is required there.
License: The repository identifies the project as MIT licensed.
Link in bio: Profile pages can collect curated links and use midnight, dark, or light themes.
A/B testing: Links can split traffic across weighted destination variants, with analytics for each variant.

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best URL Shorteners in 2026#131 of 156

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Sources

github.com/PythonPlumber/zly· checked 12 Oct 2026
github.com/PythonPlumber/zly/blob/main/docs/DEPLOY· checked 12 Oct 2026