bit

bit is a fast, lightweight self-hosted URL shortener designed for minimal click tracking and low resource usage. It provides an API and CLI for creating and managing short links, supports multiple users via API keys, and ships as a small Docker image for easy deployment.

Key Features

• Minimal tracking: captures country, browser, OS, and referer without cookies or persistent client-side tracking
• X-Forwarded-For support for proxied client IPs
• API key authentication with multi-user support and CLI tooling for key creation and management
• Uses a simple SQLite database by default for storage and a small runtime footprint
• Small container image and low memory usage; optimized for high throughput and low latency
• Automatic updates for user-agent regexes and GeoIP (GeoLite2) database
• Simple, Rails-inspired project structure that is easy to extend

Use Cases

• Provide short links for internal tools or projects with lightweight click metrics
• Offer a programmatic short-link API for applications, webhooks, or marketing campaigns
• Replace third-party link shorteners to retain control over analytics and data

Limitations and Considerations

• Default SQLite storage is convenient but may limit horizontal scaling for very high write volumes or multi-node deployments
• Tracking is intentionally minimal; it does not provide advanced analytics, user-level tracking, or persistent cookies
• The project is maintained with a focus on stability and minimalism; new feature additions are limited by design

bit is suitable for teams and hobbyists who need a simple, performant URL shortener with basic analytics and easy deployment. It emphasizes low resource usage, straightforward configuration, and minimal operational complexity.