See what re:Director offers for self-hosted redirect management, including features, Docker deployment, licensing and how it compares for teams managing…
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Productivity
Pricing
Free and open source, from Free
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Last updated
July 19, 2026
Web AppOpen SourceSelf-Hosted
Overview
re:Director is a self-hosted, Dockerized redirect service that lets anyone connect a domain and define where traffic to it should go, without a database, license fee or vendor account. It is fully open source under the Apache License 2.0 and maintained by a single developer, Jens Knipper, with source code on GitHub and documentation at re-director.github.io.
The project is aimed at technically comfortable users, such as developers, sysadmins and marketing-ops teams, who want a lightweight internal alternative to commercial link-redirect SaaS tools while keeping full ownership of redirect data and infrastructure.
Key Features
Core functionality centers on redirect creation and lifecycle management: users define a source domain and target URL, choose an HTTP status code (301, 302, 307 or 308), and the redirect is live immediately. Redirects can be filtered by source, target or status, and paused or resumed without deleting the configuration.
The tool ships as a Docker image (jensknipper/re-director) built on a Java/Spring Boot backend, requires no external database, and includes a responsive, dark-mode-aware web dashboard that works on both desktop and mobile.
Pricing
re:Director has no pricing tiers because the entire tool is free and open source. Users self-host it on their own infrastructure (a VPS, home server or internal cluster), so the only ongoing cost is hosting and maintenance, not a license fee to the project itself.
Key Features
Custom domain redirects — Connect any domain and define exactly where it should redirect to, all managed from a central dashboard.
Selectable HTTP status codes — Choose between 301, 302, 307 or 308 responses so search engines and browsers treat each redirect correctly.
Filtering by source, target or status — Quickly locate a specific redirect in large lists by filtering on source domain, destination or active/paused state.
Pause and resume redirects — Temporarily disable a redirect without losing its configuration, then re-enable it later with one click.
No external database required — Runs as a single Docker container with no separate database dependency, simplifying deployment and backups.
Dark mode and responsive UI — The dashboard automatically follows system light/dark preferences and works on mobile as well as desktop.
Docker-first deployment — Ships as an official Docker Hub image with Docker Compose examples for persistent, reproducible deployments.
Apache 2.0 licensing — Fully open-source code that can be inspected, modified and redistributed without licensing fees.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Completely free with no pricing tiers or paywalls
Simple, single-container Docker deployment with no database to manage
Supports all major redirect status codes (301, 302, 307, 308)
Open-source under Apache 2.0, so the code can be audited or modified
Lightweight, focused feature set that avoids unnecessary complexity
Cons
Maintained by a single developer, which is a bustus-factor risk for production reliance
No official hosted/managed version, so self-hosting knowledge is required
Small community (under 50 GitHub stars) means fewer third-party guides and integrations
No built-in analytics or click-tracking for redirects
No official SLA, support contract or enterprise tier for businesses that need guarantees
Pricing
Self-Hosted $0 Free forever (open source)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is re:Director free to use?
Yes. re:Director is fully free and open source under the Apache License 2.0, with no paid tiers.
Do I need a database to run re:Director?
No. It is designed to run without an external database, simplifying deployment to a single Docker container.
Which HTTP redirect codes does re:Director support?
It supports 301, 302, 307 and 308 redirects, covering both permanent and temporary redirect scenarios.
Can I pause a redirect without deleting it?
Yes, redirects can be paused and resumed at any time while keeping their configuration intact.
Is there a hosted version of re:Director?
No official hosted version exists; the project is designed to be self-hosted via Docker on your own infrastructure.
Who maintains re:Director?
It is maintained by developer Jens Knipper and published on GitHub under the re-Director organization.
What technology is re:Director built with?
The backend is written in Java using Spring Boot and built with Maven; it is distributed as a Docker image.
Does re:Director support mobile devices?
Yes, the dashboard is responsive and usable on mobile browsers, and it also includes an automatic dark mode.