A self-hosted, AI-native URL shortener and link-management platform. Branded short links, a QR studio, link-in-bio pages, deep analytics, and monetization, all on hosting you own.
LinkForge is a complete link-management platform that you run on your own server. There is no license check, no phone-home, and no subscription. It is free and open source under the MIT License, with clean, readable code (no ionCube, no obfuscation) that you can audit, extend, and ship.
- Short links: custom aliases, expiry, click limits, password protection, a UTM builder, and bulk import.
- Branded domains: multi-tenant custom domains with one-click verification and per-domain analytics.
- Targeting and rotation: geo, device, OS, language, and time rules, plus weighted A/B rotation per link.
- Deep analytics: click trends, an interactive geo map (built-in GeoIP), and device, referrer, and UTM breakdowns.
- AI layer (optional): alias suggestions, natural-language analytics, title and bio writers, and weekly insights. Bring your own Anthropic or OpenRouter key; with no key set, every AI surface stays hidden.
- QR code studio: styled, scannable codes with custom colors, shapes, logos, and saved templates.
- Link-in-bio pages: a builder with themes, content blocks, lead capture, and a live mobile preview.
- Ads and retargeting: interstitial ads, link-level ad codes, and built-in retargeting pixels (11 providers).
- Billing and plans: Stripe, PayPal, CoinPayments, Crypto.com, or an offline gateway, with plan-gated features and credits.
- Affiliate program: referral tracking, commissions, and payouts.
- Developer API and webhooks: a token-scoped REST API with HMAC-signed webhook deliveries.
- Admin panel: user management, content moderation, branding and appearance, localization, broadcasts, and a built-in updater.
- Safety: local and threat-feed URL screening (URLhaus, VirusTotal, and Web Risk), disposable-email blocking, and an optional Turnstile CAPTCHA.
- Content tools: a blog, a help center, CMS pages, sitemap and robots, and cookie consent.
- Localization and theming: multiple languages, light and dark themes, white-label branding, and a built-in demo mode.
Laravel 12, PHP 8.2+, MySQL or MariaDB, Tailwind CSS 4, Vite, and PHPUnit. No paid services are required.
- PHP 8.2+ with the standard Laravel extensions (
pdo,mbstring,openssl,tokenizer,xml,ctype,json,bcmath,fileinfo,curl,gd,zip,sodium). - MySQL 5.7+ or 8, or MariaDB 10.3+.
- Composer, and Node.js 18+ (only to build front-end assets).
- Build the assets and install production dependencies, or download a packaged release from Releases.
- Upload the files to your web root and point the document root at
public/. - Create an empty MySQL database.
- Visit your domain. The first-run installer walks you through a requirements check, the database and
.envsetup (it runs the migrations), and creating your admin account. - Add the scheduler cron so background jobs run:
* * * * * php /path/to/artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1
git clone https://github.com/sanmaxdev/linkforge.git
cd linkforge
composer install
npm install
cp .env.example .env
php artisan key:generate
# set DB_* in .env, then:
php artisan migrate --seed
npm run build # or: npm run dev
php artisan serveEverything optional is config-gated and off by default. The app runs fully with just the database configured. Set the extras you want in .env (all documented in .env.example):
| Area | Keys |
|---|---|
| AI | AI_PROVIDER, ANTHROPIC_API_KEY or OPENROUTER_API_KEY, AI_MODEL |
| Payments | STRIPE_SECRET, PAYPAL_*, COINPAYMENTS_*, CRYPTOCOM_* |
| Geo (analytics) | GEOLITE_DB_PATH, or use the bundled DB-IP country database or a Cloudflare header |
| Safety | SAFETY_URLHAUS, VIRUSTOTAL_API_KEY, WEBRISK_API_KEY, TURNSTILE_* |
| Social login | Google, GitHub, and Facebook OAuth credentials (under Admin → Settings) |
Most settings are also editable from Admin → Settings at runtime.
Full operator and user documentation ships with the app and is served at /docs on any install (offline-capable, also at public/docs/index.html).
Use Admin → Updates to upload and apply a release package. For a Git checkout, run git pull followed by composer install, php artisan migrate, and npm run build.
Try the live demo at linkforge.store.
LinkForge also includes a built-in demo mode that turns an install into a safe, read-only public showcase (one-click logins, hourly reset, no real email). Run it on a separate install only; see DEMO.md.
Contributions of all kinds are welcome: code, translations, docs, bug reports, and ideas.
New here? Browse the good first issues for small, well-scoped tasks to get you started. Areas where help is especially welcome:
- Translations: LinkForge ships English and Spanish (
lang/*.json) and is built for i18n. Adding a new language, or wrapping more of the UI for translation, is a great first PR. - Tests: broaden coverage of the link, analytics, and admin flows.
- Docs: clarify the setup guides and in-app help.
- Features: see the help wanted label and the open issues.
Read CONTRIBUTING.md for the dev setup, coding standards (Laravel Pint), and the PR process. Every PR runs the test suite and linter via CI and gets a maintainer review before merge. By participating, you agree to our Code of Conduct.
Found a vulnerability? Please do not open a public issue. See SECURITY.md for private reporting.
LinkForge is open-source software licensed under the MIT License. Bundled third-party software and data are credited in THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES.md.