Self-host linkding

updated Jul 2026deployed by usprices checked · Jul 2026Install verified on Ubuntu 26.04 · Sep 2026 · how we test

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A clean, fast self-hosted bookmark manager with tags, search across titles, descriptions, notes and URLs, and browser extensions — the easiest way to own your bookmarks.

Key facts

CategoryBookmarks

LicenseMIT

StackPython, Django

Min RAM256 MB

Official imageyes

Measured idle RAM148 MB

Difficulty

Sourcegithub.com/sissbruecker/linkding

Websitelinkding.link

Our recommendation

Pick linkding when you want to own a bookmark list, not the pages behind it: tags, notes, search over titles, notes and URLs, a REST API and a Firefox/Chrome extension, in one MIT-licensed Django container with SQLite in `/etc/linkding/data` (Postgres is a `LD_DB_ENGINE` switch, not a different image). It is the lightest app in this group to run and the docs say the image runs on a Raspberry Pi. If what you actually want is the article text saved for offline reading, Wallabag is the read-it-later tool; linkding's optional `latest-plus` image can archive HTML snapshots, but only by bundling Chromium.

What you need

Any VPS with at least 256 MB of RAM
A domain you control — most self-hosted setups need HTTPS in front of them
Under an hour if you've used Docker before

Where to host itaffiliate disclosure

Hetzner Cloudrun it on

From $23.59/mo · 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 80 GB · EU + US

Get Hetzner Cloud

Kamaterafree trial

From $4/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 20 GB · US + EU + Asia

Start free on Kamatera →

DigitalOceanalso works on

From $6/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 25 GB · US + EU + Asia

Deploy on DigitalOcean →

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Install

Run these commands on your server:

# linkding
docker run -d --name linkding \
  -p 9090:9090 -v linkding:/etc/linkding/data \
  sissbruecker/linkding:latest
# open http://SERVER_IP:9090

vps picksBest VPS for self-hostingbenchmarked quarterly · re-priced monthly

What you take on

linkding is small and stable, but four things in its own docs decide how you run it:

non-negotiableOur snippet pulls sissbruecker/linkding:latest, the basic image. Local HTML snapshots need latest-plus, which upstream describes as "significantly larger" because it includes a Chromium installation, "requires more runtime memory to run Chromium" and more disk for the snapshots; the -alpine variants are marked experimental.

non-negotiableThere is no account after first start. Create one with docker exec -it linkding python manage.py createsuperuser --username=joe --email=joe@example.com, or set LD_SUPERUSER_NAME (and LD_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD — without it the user is created with no usable password and can only log in through an auth proxy).

non-negotiableBehind Nginx add proxy_set_header Host $host; and proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;; if the proxy rewrites the Host header, set LD_CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS or POSTs fail CSRF checks. LD_CONTEXT_PATH handles sub-path hosting and must end with a slash.

non-negotiableDo not copy db.sqlite3 from a running container — the backup docs call that "not transaction safe" and warn it may corrupt the database. Use docker exec -it linkding python manage.py full_backup /etc/linkding/data/backup.zip, which also captures assets, favicons and previews; the HTML export in the UI omits snapshots and user profiles.

non-negotiableThe 256 MB floor is our estimate; linkding publishes no RAM requirement (the installation guide only notes the image runs on ARM/Raspberry Pi). Expect the plus image to need more.