Linkwarden: Self-Hosted Bookmark Manager with Archiving

You have bookmarks scattered across three browsers, a "Read Later" folder with 400 items, and a growing suspicion that half those links are already dead. Browser bookmarks have no search, no tags worth using, no archiving, and no way to share across devices without syncing your entire browser profile through Google or Apple.

Linkwarden is a self-hosted bookmark manager that solves this properly. Save links with tags and collections, and Linkwarden automatically archives the page content — screenshots and full-page copies — so the content survives even when the original site goes down. It's collaborative, searchable, and works across every device through browser extensions and a clean web interface.

Why Self-Host Your Bookmarks?

Browser bookmarks seem fine until they aren't:

• Link rot: Studies show roughly 50% of web links break within 10 years. Your bookmarks from 2020 are already dying.
• No full-text search: Browser bookmarks search titles and URLs. Linkwarden searches the actual content of saved pages.
• No archiving: When a site goes down or changes, your browser bookmark points to nothing. Linkwarden keeps a preserved copy.
• Cross-browser: If you use Firefox on desktop and Safari on your phone, your bookmarks don't sync. Linkwarden works everywhere.
• Privacy: Cloud bookmark services (Raindrop.io, Pocket) store your browsing interests on their servers.

Linkwarden vs. Linkding vs. Wallabag

Three strong options exist for self-hosted bookmarks. They serve different needs:

When to choose each

Linkwarden — You want a full-featured bookmark manager with archiving, collections, and collaboration. You're willing to run PostgreSQL.

Linkding — You want the lightest possible bookmark manager. You don't need archiving or collections. Tags are enough. Runs on minimal hardware.

Wallabag — You primarily want a read-later service (like Pocket). You want to extract article content for offline reading. Less focused on bookmark organization.

Docker Setup

Linkwarden requires PostgreSQL for its database. Here's the complete setup:

services:
  linkwarden:
    image: ghcr.io/linkwarden/linkwarden:latest
    container_name: linkwarden
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      - linkwarden-db
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    environment:
      DATABASE_URL: postgresql://linkwarden:changeme@linkwarden-db:5432/linkwarden
      NEXTAUTH_SECRET: generate-a-random-string-here
      NEXTAUTH_URL: http://localhost:3000
      # Optional: S3-compatible storage for archives
      # SPACES_ENDPOINT: https://your-s3-endpoint
      # SPACES_BUCKET_NAME: linkwarden
      # SPACES_KEY: your-access-key
      # SPACES_SECRET: your-secret-key
    volumes:
      - ./data:/data/data

  linkwarden-db:
    image: postgres:16
    container_name: linkwarden-db
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: linkwarden
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: changeme
      POSTGRES_DB: linkwarden
    volumes:
      - pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data

volumes:
  pgdata:

docker compose up -d

Open http://your-server:3000 and create your account. The first registered user becomes the admin.

Important configuration

• NEXTAUTH_SECRET: Generate a random string (openssl rand -hex 32). This secures session tokens.
• NEXTAUTH_URL: Set this to your actual URL if you're using a reverse proxy (e.g., https://bookmarks.yourdomain.com).
• Storage: By default, archives are stored locally in the /data/data volume. For large collections, configure S3-compatible storage (Minio, Backblaze B2, etc.).

Reverse proxy setup

For HTTPS access, add a Caddy config:

bookmarks.yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:3000
}

Update NEXTAUTH_URL to https://bookmarks.yourdomain.com and restart Linkwarden.

Browser Extension

Linkwarden has extensions for Chrome and Firefox that add a one-click save button to your browser.

Installation

1. Install from the Chrome Web Store or Firefox Add-ons
2. Click the extension icon and enter your Linkwarden server URL
3. Log in with your credentials

Using the extension

When you find a page worth saving:

1. Click the Linkwarden extension icon
2. Add tags (optional)
3. Select a collection (optional)
4. Click Save

The page is saved to Linkwarden and archiving starts in the background. You can also right-click any link and select "Save to Linkwarden" without opening the page.

Organizing with Collections and Tags

Linkwarden uses a dual system: collections for hierarchical organization and tags for cross-cutting labels.

Collections

Collections work like folders and can be nested:

Development/
  Frontend/
  Backend/
  DevOps/
Research/
  AI & ML/
  Self-Hosting/
Recipes/
Reading List/

Each collection can have its own sharing settings — public, shared with specific users, or private.

Tags

Tags cut across collections:

• to-read — Haven't read yet
• reference — Things you come back to regularly
• tutorial — Step-by-step guides
• tool — Software tools and services

Recommended approach

Use collections for broad categories (what the link is about) and tags for status or type (how you interact with it). Don't over-organize — Linkwarden's full-text search means you can find things even without perfect tagging.

Automatic Archiving and Screenshots

This is Linkwarden's killer feature. When you save a link, Linkwarden:

1. Takes a screenshot of the page as it appeared when you saved it
2. Saves a full copy of the page content (readable version)
3. Stores the PDF (optional, configurable)

Why this matters

• Link rot protection: The website shuts down? Your archived copy still exists.
• Content changes: Articles get edited or paywalled after publication. Your archive preserves the original.
• Evidence: Need to prove what a page said on a specific date? The screenshot has a timestamp.

Archive storage

Archives accumulate over time. For a heavy user saving 20-30 links per week:

• Screenshots: ~500 KB each, so ~1 GB per year
• Full copies: ~200 KB each (text-heavy pages), so ~400 MB per year
• Total: Roughly 1-2 GB per year for most users

Configure S3-compatible storage if you want to offload archives from your local disk.

Collaboration Features

Linkwarden supports multiple users with shared collections:

Setting up collaboration

1. Create a collection (e.g., "Team Resources")
2. Click the sharing icon on the collection
3. Invite other Linkwarden users by username or email
4. Set permissions: View only, Can add links, or Full access

Use cases

• Families: Share a "Recipes" collection where anyone can add links
• Research groups: Collaborate on a collection of resources for a project
• Teams: Maintain shared reference materials

Each user still has their own private collections alongside shared ones.

Importing from Other Services

Linkwarden can import bookmarks from several sources:

From your browser

1. Export bookmarks from your browser (Chrome: Bookmark Manager → Export; Firefox: Library → Import and Backup → Export)
2. In Linkwarden, go to Settings → Import
3. Upload the HTML file
4. Linkwarden imports all bookmarks, preserving folder structure as collections

From Pocket

1. Export your Pocket data from getpocket.com/export
2. Upload the HTML file in Linkwarden's import settings

From Raindrop.io

1. Export as HTML from Raindrop.io settings
2. Import into Linkwarden

After import, Linkwarden begins archiving all imported links in the background. This can take a while for large imports (hundreds or thousands of links), so be patient and let it run.

API and Automation

Linkwarden has a REST API for programmatic access:

API token

Generate an API token under Settings → API Keys.

Example: Save a link via API

curl -X POST https://bookmarks.yourdomain.com/api/v1/links \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your-api-token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "url": "https://example.com/article",
    "name": "Interesting Article",
    "collection": { "id": 1 },
    "tags": [{ "name": "reference" }]
  }'

Automation ideas

• Save links from RSS feeds automatically using n8n or a script
• Archive Hacker News top posts daily
• Save links from a Telegram bot using the API
• Bulk tag management for organizing large imports

Backup Strategy

Your bookmarks and archives are valuable. Back them up:

1. Database: docker compose exec linkwarden-db pg_dump -U linkwarden linkwarden > backup.sql
2. Archive files: Back up the ./data directory (contains screenshots and page copies)
3. Export: Linkwarden can export all bookmarks as HTML — keep a periodic export as a portable backup

The Honest Trade-offs

Linkwarden is great if:

• You want bookmark archiving (screenshots + full copies)
• You need hierarchical organization with collections
• You collaborate with others on shared bookmark collections
• You're tired of link rot destroying your saved references

Linkwarden is not ideal if:

• You want the lightest possible setup (Linkding uses far fewer resources)
• You primarily want a read-later service with article extraction (Wallabag is better for this)
• You don't need archiving and just want organized links
• You're running on very limited hardware (Raspberry Pi might struggle)

Bottom line: Linkwarden fills a real gap. Browser bookmarks don't archive or search well. Pocket and Raindrop.io store your data in the cloud. Linkding is lighter but doesn't archive. If you value preserving the content behind your bookmarks — not just the URLs — Linkwarden is the best self-hosted option available. The collections system, collaboration features, and automatic archiving make it worth the slightly heavier resource footprint.

Resources

• Linkwarden documentation
• Linkwarden GitHub
• Browser extensions
• API reference
• Linkding — Lightweight alternative
• Wallabag — Read-later alternative