Shlink is a self-hosted open source URL shortener which provides both a REST and a CLI interface to interact with it. Shlink comes with some features which are not usually available in other hosted and self-hosted services. Shlink is a more advanced alternative to Lynx URL shortener and Reduced. In this step by step guide I will show you how to install Shlink on your Synology NAS using Docker and Portainer.

💡Note: This guide works perfectly with the latest Shlink v4.2.5 release.

• STEP 1

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• STEP 2

Install Portainer using my step by step guide. If you already have Portainer installed on your Synology NAS, skip this STEP. Attention: Make sure you have installed the latest Portainer version.

• STEP 3

Make sure you have a synology.me Wildcard Certificate. Follow my guide to get a Wildcard Certificate. If you already have a synology.me Wildcard certificate, skip this STEP.

• STEP 4

Go to Control Panel / Login Portal / Advanced Tab / click Reverse Proxy. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 5

Now click the “Create” button. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 6

After you click the Create button, the window below will open. Follow the instructions in the image below.

On the General area, set the Reverse Proxy Name description: type in Shlink URL. After that, add the following instructions:

Source:
Protocol: HTTPS
Hostname: url.yourname.synology.me
Port: 443

Check Enable HSTS

Destination:
Protocol: HTTP
Hostname: localhost
Port: 8335

• STEP 7

On the Reverse Proxy Rules click the Custom Header tab. Click Create and then, from the drop-down menu, click WebSocket. After you click on WebSocket, two Header Names and two Values will be automatically added. Click Save. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 8

Go to Control Panel / Login Portal / Advanced Tab / click Reverse Proxy. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 9

Now click the “Create” button. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 10

After you click the Create button, the window below will open. Follow the instructions in the image below.

On the General area, set the Reverse Proxy Name description: type in Shlink ACCESS. After that, add the following instructions:

Source:
Protocol: HTTPS
Hostname: shlink.yourname.synology.me
Port: 443

Check Enable HSTS

Destination:
Protocol: HTTP
Hostname: localhost
Port: 8336

• STEP 11

On the Reverse Proxy Rules click the Custom Header tab. Click Create and then, from the drop-down menu, click WebSocket. After you click on WebSocket, two Header Names and two Values will be automatically added. Click Save. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 12

Go to Control Panel / Network / Connectivity tab/ Check Enable HTTP/2 then click Apply. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 13

Go to Control Panel / Security / Advanced tab/ Check Enable HTTP Compression then click Apply. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 14

Go to File Station and open the docker folder. Inside the docker folder, create one new folder and name it shlinkdb. Follow the instructions in the image below.
Note: Be careful to enter only lowercase, not uppercase letters.

• STEP 15

Log into Portainer using your username and password. On the left sidebar in Portainer, click on Stacks then + Add stack. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 16

In the Name field type in shlink. Follow the instructions in the image below.

Note: Copy Paste the code below in the Portainer Stacks Web editor.

services:
  shlink-db:
    image: postgres:17
    container_name: Shlink-DB
    hostname: shlink-db
    security_opt:
      - no-new-privileges:true
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "pg_isready", "-q", "-d", "shlink", "-U", "shlinkuser"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5
    volumes:
      - /volume1/docker/shlinkdb:/var/lib/postgresql/data:rw
    environment:
      POSTGRES_DB: shlink
      POSTGRES_USER: shlinkuser
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: shlinkpw
    restart: on-failure:5

  shlink:
    image: shlinkio/shlink:stable
    container_name: Shlink
    hostname: shlink
    security_opt:
      - no-new-privileges:true
    ports:
      - 8335:8080
    environment:
      - TIMEZONE=Europe/Bucharest
      - INITIAL_API_KEY=59f4baa0-b67b-444d-8a06-f455b37ec180
      - DB_DRIVER=postgres
      - DB_NAME=shlink
      - DB_USER=shlinkuser
      - DB_PASSWORD=shlinkpw
      - DB_HOST=shlink-db
      - DB_PORT=5432
      - DEFAULT_DOMAIN=url.yourname.synology.me
      - IS_HTTPS_ENABLED=true
      - GEOLITE_LICENSE_KEY=ot1mmLCACB3N8IL6
    restart: on-failure:5
    depends_on:
      shlink-db:
        condition: service_started

  shlink-web:
    image: shlinkio/shlink-web-client:stable
    container_name: Shlink-WEB
    hostname: shlink-web
    security_opt:
      - no-new-privileges:true
    healthcheck:
      test: wget --no-verbose --tries=1 --spider http://localhost:8080/ || exit 1
    ports:
      - 8336:8080
    environment:
      - SHLINK_SERVER_NAME=mariushosting
      - SHLINK_SERVER_URL=https://url.yourname.synology.me
      - SHLINK_SERVER_API_KEY=59f4baa0-b67b-444d-8a06-f455b37ec180
    restart: on-failure:5
    depends_on:
      - shlink

Note: Before you paste the code above in the Web editor area below, change the value for TZ. (Select your current Time Zone from this list.)
Note: Before you paste the code above in the Web editor area below, change the value for DEFAULT_DOMAIN and type in your own synology.me DDNS that you have previously created at STEP 6 but without https:// at the beginning.
Note: Before you paste the code above in the Web editor area below, change the value for SHLINK_SERVER_NAME. mariushosting is an example for a server name. You should use your own server name.
Note: Before you paste the code above in the Web editor area below, change the value for SHLINK_SERVER_URL and type in your own synology.me DDNS that you have previously created at STEP 6 with https:// at the beginning.

• STEP 17

Scroll down on the page until you see a button named Deploy the stack. Click on it. Follow the instructions in the image below. The installation process can take up to a few minutes. It will depend on your Internet speed connection.

• STEP 18

If everything goes right, you will see the following message at the top right of your screen: “Success Stack successfully deployed“.

• STEP 19

Go back to STEP 1 or you will deal with karma 🙂.

• STEP 20

Now open your browser and type in your HTTPS/SSL certificate like this https://shlink.yourname.synology.me that you have previously created at STEP 10. In my case it’s https://shlink.mariushosting.synology.me If everything goes right, you will see the Shlink main page. Click on your own Server Name. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 21

Create your first short URL. Add a long link URL, add a custom slug then click Save. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 22

You can now access your long URL using your new short URL. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 23

At the top right of the page click Settings then choose “Use dark theme” to use Dark Mode. Follow the instructions in the image below.

Enjoy Shlink!

🆘TROUBLESHOOTING

If you encounter issues by using this container, make sure to check out the Common Docker issues article.

Note: Find out how to update the Shlink container with the latest image.
Note: How to Back Up Docker Containers on your Synology NAS.
Note: Can I run Docker on my Synology NAS? See the supported models.
Note: How to Free Disk Space on Your NAS if You Run Docker.
Note: How to Schedule Start & Stop For Docker Containers.
Note: How to Activate Email Notifications.
Note: How to Add Access Control Profile on Your NAS.
Note: How to Change Docker Containers Restart Policy.
Note: How to Use Docker Containers With VPN.
Note: Convert Docker Run Into Docker Compose.
Note: How to Clean Docker.
Note: How to Clean Docker Automatically.
Note: Best Practices When Using Docker and DDNS.
Note: Some Docker Containers Need WebSocket.
Note: Find out the Best NAS Models For Docker.
Note: Activate Gmail SMTP For Docker Containers.

This post was updated on Friday / November 8th, 2024 at 1:19 PM