Connect your own shortener.

01 · Before you start

Slug is the client. YOURLS is the server.

Slug connects to a YOURLS installation that you control. If you already have a private YOURLS server working over HTTPS, skip to Find your signature.

YOURLS currently documents PHP 8.1 or newer, MySQL 5.5 or newer or MariaDB 10.0 or newer, and the PHP cURL extension for API use. Confirm the current requirements before installing.

02 · Install YOURLS

Use the latest release, not the development branch.

Hosting environments differ, so use your provider’s deployment tools or the official YOURLS instructions. The reliable manual path is:

1. 01
   Download the latest release archive.

   Use the current stable package from YOURLS rather than a snapshot of the development branch.

2. 02
   Create a database.

   Give YOURLS a dedicated MySQL or MariaDB database and a user limited to that database.

3. 03
   Create your configuration.

   Copy user/config-sample.php to user/config.php, then add the database, site, and login values.

4. 04
   Upload the files.

   Place the release in the web root for your short-link domain and apply the permissions recommended by your host.

5. 05
   Run the installer.

   Open https://go.example.com/admin/ and follow the installation prompts.

define( 'YOURLS_DB_USER', 'yourls_db_user' );
define( 'YOURLS_DB_PASS', 'use-a-unique-password' );
define( 'YOURLS_DB_NAME', 'yourls' );
define( 'YOURLS_DB_HOST', 'localhost' );

define( 'YOURLS_SITE', 'https://go.example.com' );
define( 'YOURLS_PRIVATE', true );

$yourls_user_passwords = array(
    'admin' => 'use-another-unique-password',
);

03 · Authentication

Use a signature instead of your password.

Sign in to the YOURLS admin area and open Tools. Copy the secret signature token shown in the passwordless API section. The signature is tied to your YOURLS user and can make API requests without exposing your login password.

04 · Slug

Add the server to Slug.

1. 01
   Open Slug settings.

   Choose the YOURLS server or connection option.

2. 02
   Enter the server URL.

   Use the HTTPS address where YOURLS is installed, such as https://go.example.com. Do not paste an admin-page URL.

3. 03
   Paste the signature token.

   Use the token from the YOURLS Tools page. Treat it like a password.

4. 04
   Test and save.

   Slug verifies the API connection before storing the configuration.

Under the hood, YOURLS serves API requests through yourls-api.php. Slug handles the API path and request formatting for you.

05 · Troubleshooting

If the connection test fails.

06 · Maintenance

Keep the server healthy.

• Install stable YOURLS updates using the official upgrade instructions.
• Back up both the database and the user directory.
• Keep PHP, the database, the web server, and TLS certificates current.
• Restrict access to config.php using permissions supported by your host.
• Rotate the signature if you believe it has been exposed.