url-shortener

🔗 URL Shortener

A full-featured, self-hosted URL shortener service with analytics built using Node.js and Express.
Perfect for local development and learning full-stack development!

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✨ Features

• 🔗 URL Shortening — Convert long URLs into short, memorable links
• 📊 Basic Analytics — Track clicks and view simple statistics
• 🎨 Custom Aliases — Create custom short codes for your URLs
• 📱 Responsive Design — Works perfectly on desktop and mobile
• ⚡ Real-time Dashboard — Monitor links with live stats
• 💾 In-Memory Storage — No database setup required
• 🎯 Simple Setup — Get running in under 2 minutes

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🚀 Quick Start (2-Minute Setup)

🧩 Prerequisites

• Node.js v16 or higher
• No database required for basic version

⚙️ Installation & Running

# Navigate to your project folder
cd URL-SHORTENER

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start the app
npm run dev     # for development
npm start       # for production

🌐 Access Your App

Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser.
🎉 You’re live!

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📸 What You’ll See

🏠 Homepage

• Clean interface for shortening URLs
• Real-time feedback
• Custom alias option

📊 Dashboard

• See all shortened URLs
• View click statistics

📈 Stats Page

• Track individual link analytics
• Monitor click counts and timestamps

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🎯 How to Use

1. Shorten a URL
   • Paste your long URL → Click “Shorten” → Copy short link
     Example: http://localhost:3000/abc123
2. Use Custom Aliases
   • Example:
     http://localhost:3000/my-portfolio
http://localhost:3000/company-news
3. Track Analytics
   • Visit /dashboard or /stats/:code to see real-time clicks

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🏗️ Project Structure

URL-SHORTENER/
├── server.js          # Main server logic
├── package.json       # Dependencies and scripts
├── .env               # Environment variables
├── views/             # EJS templates
│   ├── index.ejs
│   ├── dashboard.ejs
│   └── stats.ejs
└── public/            # Static files (CSS, JS)

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🔧 Technical Details

Layer	Technology
Backend	Node.js + Express.js
Frontend	EJS + Vanilla JS
Storage	In-memory (simple JS object)
Styling	Pure CSS (mobile-first)

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🛠️ API Usage

🔗 Shorten a URL

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/url/shorten   -H "Content-Type: application/json"   -d '{"longUrl": "https://example.com/very-long-url"}'

📊 Get URL Statistics

curl http://localhost:3000/api/url/abc123/stats

🌍 Redirect

Visit:

http://localhost:3000/abc123

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🚀 Next Steps & Enhancements

✅ Add MongoDB for persistence
✅ Implement user authentication
✅ Generate QR codes for each short link
✅ Add link expiration and bulk creation
✅ Export analytics to CSV

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❓ FAQ

Q: Where is my data stored?
A: In memory — resets when the server restarts.

Q: Can I use it in production?
A: For learning and development, yes. For production, add a database.

Q: How do I change the port?
A: Add PORT=8080 in .env or run set PORT=8080.

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🐛 Troubleshooting

Port in use?

netstat -ano | findstr :3000
taskkill /PID [PID] /F

Reinstall dependencies

rm -rf node_modules
npm install

Check your Node version (16+) and file structure

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📚 Learning Resources

This project demonstrates:

• REST API design with Express
• Server-side rendering (EJS)
• In-memory data management
• Responsive web design basics

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🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repo
2. Create a feature branch
3. Commit your changes
4. Push and open a PR

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📞 Support

If you’re stuck:

• Check the console for errors
• Verify Node.js version (16+)
• Ensure all files are in the correct locations

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💖 Built With

• Node.js
• Express.js
• EJS
• CSS

Perfect for learning full-stack development!