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Zly

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What Zly is

Zly is a free, MIT-licensed open-source URL shortener and marketing platform that can run on the web, Linux, an API, or a self-hosted deployment. Short links support custom slugs, passwords, scheduled activation or expiry, and bulk import or export. Dashboards report clicks over time with browser, operating-system, device, and top-referrer details. Zly creates color-customizable QR codes downloadable as PNG or SVG. Marketing tools include link-in-bio pages with curated links and midnight, dark, or light themes, weighted A/B destination tests, and email campaigns with contacts, templates, sending, and open or click tracking. Multi-user workspaces provide owner and member roles with invitations. A REST API uses workspace-scoped keys and generated OpenAPI documentation; Google and GitHub OAuth are listed. Security controls include bcrypt hashing, JWT refresh authentication, rate limiting, CSRF protection, and CSP and HSTS headers.

Who it suits

It suits teams or individuals needing self-hosted short links, analytics, QR codes, and marketing tools. Developers can use its REST API and deployment options.

What it does well

  • Free, open-source, MIT-licensed project
  • Custom slugs and scheduled links
  • Color-customizable QR code downloads
  • A/B testing with variant analytics
  • Workspace roles and invitations

What to know first

  • Vercel requires PostgreSQL instead of SQLite
  • Self-hosting requires deployment setup
  • Redis is optional with fallback

Verdict

Zly combines URL shortening with analytics, campaigns, link-in-bio pages, and team workspaces. Its open-source license and deployment choices suit operators who want control over hosting and integrations.

Facts from Zly's own pages

A/B testing
Links can split traffic across weighted destination variants, with analytics for each variant. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
Analytics
Per-link and workspace dashboards show click trends, browser, operating system, device, and top referrers. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
API
Zly provides a REST API with auto-generated OpenAPI documentation and workspace-scoped API keys. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
API access
Yes · github.com, 20 Sept 2026
Authentication integrations
The API overview lists OAuth login through Google and GitHub. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Bulk link creation
Yes · github.com, 20 Sept 2026
Custom domains
Yes · github.com, 20 Sept 2026
Deployment
The project supports Docker Compose deployment and says Redis is optional with graceful fallback. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
Deployment limitation
The deployment guide says SQLite does not work on Vercel because its filesystem is read-only, so PostgreSQL is required there. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Email campaigns
Email features include contact management, templates, campaign sending, and open and click tracking. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
License
The project is licensed under the MIT license. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
Link in bio
Profile pages can collect curated links and use midnight, dark, or light themes. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
Marketing features
The feature list includes link-in-bio pages, weighted A/B testing, and email campaigns with open and click tracking. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Product
Zly is an open-source, self-hosted URL shortening and marketing platform. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
QR codes
Zly generates QR codes for links and supports PNG or SVG downloads with customizable colors. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
Security
The repository lists bcrypt password hashing, JWT authentication with refresh tokens, rate limiting, CSRF protection, and CSP and HSTS security headers. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
Self-hosting
The deployment guide covers VPS, Railway, Render, and Vercel deployments; the VPS setup uses Docker Compose and Caddy for automatic HTTPS. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Short links
Short links support custom slugs, password protection, scheduled activation or expiry, and bulk import and export. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026
Teams
Multi-user workspaces support owner and member roles and an invitation flow. · github.com, 13 Oct 2026

Where Zly stands on Freedom251

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