kutt

Kutt is the easiest self-hosted shortener to actually get running. It defaults to SQLite, so there is no separate database server to provision, and Node 20 plus a single command puts you in business.

The feature list covers what people really use: custom domains, password protected links, expiration times, private per link statistics, a REST API, admin controls for managing users and links, and OIDC login when you want it wired into a company identity provider. Postgres and MySQL are available for when SQLite stops being enough, and Redis is optional caching rather than a requirement.

MIT licensed and free, with a free hosted instance at kutt.to for anyone who does not want to run anything at all. Solo: use kutt.to. Small teams: self-host, since the SQLite default keeps the whole thing to one process and one file on disk. Teams routing many domains at scale should look at shlinkio/shlink instead.

The catch is that the low setup cost comes from doing less. There is no plugin system the way YOURLS/YOURLS has one, and the analytics stop at the basics. For most people that is a fair trade, but know what you are trading before the reporting request arrives.