URL Shortener

A simple URL Shortener built with Node.js, Express, and MongoDB. This application allows users to shorten URLs, track visits, and manage a blacklist of domains.

Features

• Shorten URLs and generate a unique short link.
• Redirect to original URL using the short link.
• Track analytics (visit count and history) for each shortened URL.
• Blacklist certain domains to prevent them from being shortened.
• Rate limiting to prevent spam.

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Installation

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/shubhamch95/url-shortener.git
cd url-shortener

2. Install dependencies

npm install

3. Configure Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the root directory and add:

MONGO_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/url-shortener
PORT=3000

4. Start the Server

npm start

Server runs on http://localhost:3000

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API Endpoints

1. Shorten a URL

POST /shorten

{
  "originalUrl": "https://example.com"
}

Response:

{
  "shortUrl": "abc123"
}

2. Redirect using Shortened URL

GET /:shortUrl

• Redirects to the original URL.

3. Get Analytics for a URL

GET /analytics/:shortUrl Response:

{
  "originalUrl": "https://example.com",
  "shortUrl": "abc123",
  "visitCount": 5,
  "visitHistory": ["2024-03-21T10:00:00Z"]
}

4. Add a Domain to the Blacklist

POST /blacklist

{
  "domain": "https://malicious.com"
}

Response:

{
  "message": "Domain added to blacklist.",
  "domain": "malicious.com"
}

5. Get Blacklisted Domains

GET /blacklist Response:

[
  { "domain": "malicious.com", "createdAt": "2024-03-21T10:00:00Z" }
]

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Folder Structure

url-shortener/
│── models/
│   ├── Blacklist.js   # Schema for blacklisted domains
│   ├── URL.js         # Schema for shortened URLs
│── server.js          # Main server file
│── .env               # Environment variables
│── .gitignore         # Ignored files (node_modules, .env)
│── package.json       # Project dependencies
│── README.md          # Project documentation

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Technologies Used

• Node.js - Backend runtime
• Express.js - Web framework
• MongoDB - NoSQL database
• Mongoose - ODM for MongoDB
• shortid - Generate unique short URLs
• dotenv - Manage environment variables
• express-rate-limit - Prevent abuse

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

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Author

Shubham Chaudhary

• GitHub: shubhamch95

Feel free to contribute or report issues!

🚀 Happy Coding!