awesome-url-shortener/BACKLOG_REVIEW.md

Backlog review: 2026-09-21

Scope: all 47 open pull requests and all 9 open issues in 738/awesome-url-shortener. All proposed PR changes were confined to README.md. Bodies, diffs, and available discussion/review comments were inspected.

This document records proposed dispositions. The original PRs and issues remain open until the maintainer authorizes and applies the plan. The accompanying README incorporates 39 PRs, recommends closing one parked-domain proposal, and leaves seven PRs pending evidence. Eight issues can be resolved; one needs a working service URL.

Verification and limits

• Checked official homepages, documentation, repository source/license declarations, redirect destinations, and HTTP/TLS responses. Access failures were retried.
• This is a directory review, not an end-to-end audit of every service. No paid accounts, registrations, or production short links were created.
• JavaScript-only pages were inspected through available HTML and public bundles. Browser execution could not be completed because the installed browse runtime lacked its expected Chromium build.
• HTTP 403, DNS failure, and TLS errors are observations, not proof of permanent shutdown. Existing affected services have a separate access-problems category; new inaccessible services are held.
• No GitHub Actions workflows or PR status checks were configured. README structure, ordering, duplicates, links, and whitespace were checked locally.

Pull requests

PR	Proposed action	Reason and evidence
#31	Incorporate / supersede	Include url1.io. Replace the former Kutt domain with kutt.to based on the upstream warning; resolve the stale PR conflict through this update. Source.
#51	Incorporate / supersede	Include Slug with a short description; repository has GPL-3.0 licensing. Source.
#53	Incorporate / supersede	Include the hosted service and link directly to its source repository in the self-hosted section. Source.
#56	Hold open	short.reus.nc returned HTTP 521 on repeated checks. Verify restoration or provide a working replacement. Source.
#58	Incorporate / supersede	Include the verified service; normalize its description and ordering. Source.
#59	Incorporate / supersede	Include Pxl; official URL-shortener API documentation confirms shortening. Do not make an independent GDPR-compliance assertion. Source.
#62	Incorporate / supersede	Include the verified service; normalize its description and ordering. Source.
#63	Incorporate / supersede	Include Lua.sh with a direct source repository link. Source.
#65	Incorporate / supersede	Include the verified service; normalize its description and ordering. Source.
#67	Incorporate / supersede	Include the verified service; normalize its description and ordering. Source.
#69	Incorporate / supersede	Include MyURL with a neutral description. Homepage and public JavaScript bundle describe URL shortening; browser execution was not verified. Source.
#71	Incorporate / supersede	Include the verified service; normalize its description and ordering. Source.
#75	Incorporate / supersede	Include Minily; paid plans are required for unlimited links and custom domains. Source.
#78	Hold open	urls.ac failed DNS resolution on repeated checks. Supply a reachable replacement URL. Source.
#79	Close without inclusion	Do not include: link-rotator.com currently shows a parked domain / possible sale page. Source.
#81	Incorporate / supersede	Include ShortPen without the unsupported promise of free service without limits. Source.
#106	Incorporate / supersede	Include Zu.lk with a concise feature description, without promotional claims. Source.
#107	Incorporate / supersede	Include PyMD without claiming Python Software Foundation endorsement; retain the existing sor.bz entry. Do not add pork.li, which failed DNS resolution. Source.
#108	Hold open	ogli.sh returned HTTP 520 on repeated checks. Supply a working service or documented replacement. Source.
#111	Hold open	url-shortener.co.in now serves a logistics business. TS4 only exposed a JavaScript application shell in this review. Remove the unrelated domain and provide a verifiable shortening page for TS4. Source.
#112	Incorporate / supersede	Include kua.lat with a factual feature description instead of its slogan. Source.
#113	Incorporate / supersede	Include Linkly and verified status corrections. Buffer and Ow.ly remain available in their parent products; Polr is not archived. reduced.to is archived, not actively continuing as claimed. Source.
#118	Hold open	The repository and PHP entry point contain no identifiable open-source license. Add an explicit license before inclusion in the open-source section. Source.
#120	Incorporate / supersede	Include the verified service; normalize its description and ordering. Source.
#121	Incorporate / supersede	Include Rushomon with a direct link to its AGPL source repository. Source.
#124	Hold open	The current homepage and API documentation list utility endpoints but no URL-shortening endpoint. Supply current shortening documentation. Source.
#126	Hold open	linkshrink.dev failed DNS resolution on repeated checks. Supply a reachable service URL before inclusion. Source.
#128	Incorporate / supersede	Include Brevio; its README explicitly declares MIT licensing and provides installation instructions. Source.
#133	Incorporate / supersede	Include PeakURL as self-hosted open-source software; replace the promotional description. Source.
#134	Incorporate / supersede	Include the verified service; normalize its description and ordering. Source.
#135	Incorporate / supersede	Include the verified service; normalize its description and ordering. Source.
#136	Incorporate / supersede	Include the shared-provider relationship confirmed by the v.gd FAQ. Source.
#137	Incorporate / supersede	Do not add the stale 10-free-links/month claim. Link to current pricing and trial terms. Source.
#138	Incorporate / supersede	Include 5 free links/month with an official source and verification date. Source.
#139	Incorporate / supersede	Include 30 free links/month with an official source and verification date. Source.
#140	Incorporate / supersede	Do not mark Ow.ly deprecated. Hootsuite still documents it as a dashboard feature; link to that page. Source.
#141	Incorporate / supersede	Record the current HTTPS failure separately from confirmed discontinued services. Source.
#142	Incorporate / supersede	Record current HTTP 403 as an access problem, not proof of permanent shutdown. Source.
#143	Incorporate / supersede	Include the anonymous-link expiration note supported by tiny.cc. Source.
#144	Incorporate / supersede	Include x.gd with optional expiration; avoid an unconditional promise that links never expire. Source.
#145	Incorporate / supersede	Selectively incorporate sorting, descriptions, restored 3.ly, and verified status changes. Keep Ow.ly, Buffer, Polr, and shorten-url.com; do not repeat unsupported shutdown or archive claims. Preserve LinkHuddle because a waitlist alone does not establish shutdown. Source.
#148	Incorporate / supersede	Include the verified service; normalize its description and ordering. Source.
#151	Incorporate / supersede	Include mnlc.es using its current misenlac.es homepage; normalize formatting. Source.
#154	Incorporate / supersede	Include under a separate commercial self-hosted category, not hosted services or open-source software. Source.
#157	Incorporate / supersede	Include Flyn with free and paid plans; custom domains and deep links are not free-plan features. Source.
#159	Incorporate / supersede	Include under self-hosted software; clarify destination allowlist and optional aggregate analytics instead of claiming no tracking. Source.
#161	Incorporate / supersede	Include FavURL; feature page confirms analytics, QR codes, collections, and custom domains. Source.

Issues

Issue	Proposed action	Reason and evidence
#25	Close as completed	rip.to was already added in merged PR #29 on 2024-01-15. This review separately records its current access failure. Source.
#38	Incorporate / close	Original repository is 404; the replacement repository has MIT licensing and self-hosting instructions. Source.
#39	Incorporate / close	Include URLed in the archived-projects category, not as an actively maintained project. Source.
#60	Incorporate / close	Include link2.it; the current homepage provides a shortening form. Source.
#61	Incorporate / close	gg.gg now shows a Good Game placeholder instead of its former shortening service. Source.
#64	Hold open	Smally failed DNS resolution on repeated live checks. Search results contain an older page, so restoration or a working replacement is needed. Source.
#73	Incorporate / close	wr.do redirects to LikeDo; include the current product and identify its former name. Source.
#77	Incorporate / close	Remove from active services; the operator confirmed public access was disabled even though the website still loads. Source.
#114	Incorporate / close	Move zlnk.com out of active services; the domain now leads to an Afternic sale listing. Source.

Additional evidence for overlapping cleanup PRs

• Kutt upstream warning: kutt.it is no longer owned by the project; the current service is kutt.to.
• Buffer help and Hootsuite Ow.ly document active built-in shortening.
• Polr source is accessible and not marked archived; the archive claim in #113 is unsupported.
• reduced.to source is marked archived on 2025-04-27.
• lstu.fr explicitly restricts shortening to its owner; the self-hosted project remains available.
• clicky.me explicitly says it is in maintenance mode and cannot be actively used.
• 3.ly currently offers a shortener and is restored to the active list.
• shorten-url.com still displays a service and plans; a sale notice alone does not establish shutdown.

Attribution

The proposal builds on the linked original contributions. Their PR links preserve the individual change history. Original proposals are described as superseded, not merged, if this consolidated update is accepted.