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The original was posted on /r/selfhosted by /u/laffytaffywaffy on 2025-04-12 15:27:39+00:00.
Hey folks π
Just wrapped up a weekend project and thought Iβd share the experience in case anyone out there is thinking about spinning up their own URL shortener.
I used Kutt as the base β amazing open source project (massive respect to them). From there, I made quite a few customizations:
- Cleaned up and rewrote parts of the UI and email templates
- Integrated SMTP via AWS SES
- Added automated database backups with retention policies
- Reworked the copy to give it a more polished, user-friendly feel
Iβm hosting it on a 2GB VPS with PostgreSQL, Redis, and Nginx as a reverse proxy. Skipped Docker for this one β went with a Node.js setup instead for more direct control.
The final product is TNYL β short for Track Now, Your Links.
If youβre looking to host your own link shortener, this is a pretty solid starting point.
Happy to help anyone trying to set something similar up!