Bitly
URL shortening and link management service for creating concise, trackable links with analytics
Polr
Self-hosted URL shortener with branding and API control
Polr is a self-hostable link shortening platform built with PHP and Lumen. Brand your URLs, control your data, and integrate via robust API.
Overview
Take Control of Your Links
Polr is a self-hosted URL shortening web application designed for organizations and individuals who want full ownership of their link infrastructure. Built on PHP and the Lumen framework with MySQL, Polr combines a modern, themable interface with powerful API capabilities to let you create branded short links without relying on third-party services.
Who It's For
Ideal for marketing teams, developers, and businesses seeking data sovereignty and custom branding for their shortened URLs. Whether you're tracking campaign performance, building integrations, or simply want control over your link analytics, Polr provides the foundation.
Deployment and Extensibility
Polr is straightforward to deploy: clone the repository, point your web server's document root to public/, configure a MySQL database, and complete the web-based setup wizard. The platform supports browser extensions (Safari) and client libraries (Python), making it easy to shorten links from multiple environments. With semantic versioning and an active community, Polr balances stability with ongoing development.
Highlights
Self-hosted infrastructure for complete data ownership and privacy
Robust REST API for programmatic link creation and management
Themable, modern interface with straightforward setup wizard
Browser extensions and client libraries for cross-platform integration
Pros
- Full control over branding, analytics, and link data
- Lightweight PHP/Lumen stack with minimal dependencies
- Active community with browser and language library support
- Simple installation process with web-based configuration
Considerations
- Requires self-hosting infrastructure and MySQL database management
- Breaking changes between major versions complicate upgrades
- Limited built-in analytics compared to commercial SaaS platforms
- PHP/Lumen stack may not suit teams preferring modern JavaScript frameworks
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Fit guide
Great for
- Organizations requiring data sovereignty and custom link branding
- Development teams building integrations via REST API
- Marketing departments tracking campaigns with self-hosted analytics
- Users wanting lightweight, themable URL shortening without vendor lock-in
Not ideal when
- Teams without server administration or PHP hosting capabilities
- Projects needing advanced analytics dashboards out of the box
- Users seeking zero-maintenance SaaS solutions
- Environments where automatic major version upgrades are critical
How teams use it
Branded Marketing Campaigns
Marketing teams deploy custom short domains to track click-through rates and maintain brand consistency across social media and email campaigns.
Internal Link Management
Enterprises host Polr internally to create memorable short links for documentation, wikis, and employee resources while keeping analytics private.
API-Driven Integrations
Developers integrate Polr's REST API into CMS platforms, chatbots, and automation workflows to generate short links programmatically.
Event and Conference Tracking
Event organizers create branded short links for registration, schedules, and sponsor pages, gaining insight into attendee engagement without third-party data sharing.
Tech snapshot
PHP55%
Blade25%
JavaScript12%
CSS6%
HTML1%
Python1%
Frequently asked questions
What are the server requirements for Polr?
Polr requires a web server with PHP, the Lumen framework, and a MySQL database. Point your document root to the `public/` directory and complete the web-based setup at `/setup`.
Can I upgrade from Polr 1.x to 2.x automatically?
No, there are breaking changes between 1.x and 2.x that prevent automatic upgrades. Upgrading within 2.x versions is supported via `git pull`, `composer install`, and `php artisan migrate`.
Does Polr offer browser extensions or client libraries?
Yes, Polr has a Safari browser extension and a Python client library (mypolr) for cross-platform link shortening.
Is there a demo available to test Polr?
Yes, visit demo.polr.me and log in with username `demo-admin` and password `demo-admin` to explore the interface and features.
What license does Polr use?
Polr is released under the GPL-2.0 license.
Project at a glance
Dormant- Stars
- 5,104
- Watchers
- 5,104
- Forks
- 900
LicenseGPL-2.0
Repo age12 years old
Last commit2 years ago
Self-hostingSupported
Primary languagePHP
Last synced 3 hours ago