GoLink URL shortener

High performance URL shortener, with support for Go templates, OIDC, tailscale, etc. Designed for enterprise use-cases.

Features

• Powerful redirection syntax: advanced syntax based on Go templates with regex functions and variables extracted from context (for example, include the current user email address in the destination URL). Also support a simpler syntax and explicit link aliases.
• Authentication: Multiple supported authentication source, such as Tailscale header-based, OIDC (Authelia, Keycloak, etc.) or reverse proxy autorization header. Link redirection can require authentication (server wide or per-link option).
• Short domain redirect: Support redirection and web-site access through short domains (such as go/foobar), typically through Tailscale MagicDNS.
• Link sharing: Share links ownership with other users by email or group.
• Search: Search link feature, with restrict.
• REST API: Full API support to create/edit/resolve links and perform administrative duties (DB dump and restore). With read-only or read/write API keys management.
• Admin interface: Full admin interface for management duty or override for user’s links.
• Easy to deploy: Just one database is required (SQLite or Postgres), follow our guides for Docker, Docker compose, Kubernetes, etc.
• High performance: LRU cache and async use-count writes. Designed for hundred of thousands of users and short links.
• Security: Configurable domain restriction for sharing, advanced links. Full CSP policy, CIDR checks for trusting headers, etc.

Quick start

1. Download or build

Install from source (requires Go 1.21+):

go install github.com/mkende/golink-url-shortener/cmd/golink@latest

@latest resolves to the most recent tagged release. The Go toolchain embeds that tag in the binary, so the footer shows the correct version automatically.

Or build locally (requires just):

git clone https://github.com/mkende/golink-url-shortener.git
cd golink-url-shortener
just build        # build binary (version stamped from VERSION file)
just install      # install to $GOBIN / $GOPATH/bin
just test         # run all tests
just run          # build and run locally (requires config.toml)
just run-docker   # run in Docker (requires config.toml and just build-container)

Running go build directly produces a binary labelled dev.

2. Configure

cp config.template.toml golink.conf
# Edit golink.conf

3. Run

golink -config golink.conf

The server starts on 0.0.0.0:8080 by default.

AI Usage disclosure

While the code itself of this server has been heavily written by Claude, the interface, the code structure, the authentication flow, the feature set, etc. have all been carefully designed and reviewed by a human. In addition, exhaustive testing of the various deployment options took place.

Documentation

• docs/deployment.md — Self-host, Docker, Compose, Kubernetes
• docs/configuration.md — All configuration options
• docs/api.md — REST API reference
• docs/links.md — Redirect pattern help
• docs/auth-redirect — Implementation details on the authentication patterns

License

MIT — see LICENSE.txt.