preeti003 / link_shortener

URL Shortener

Overview

URL Shortener is a web application that allows users to create shortened URLs for long web addresses. This project is built using Node.js, Express.js, MongoDB, and the "shortid" library.

Features

• Generate Short URLs: Users can enter a long URL, and the application will generate a unique, shortened URL that redirects to the original long URL.
• Analytics: Users can view analytics for each shortened URL, including the total number of clicks and a visit history with timestamps.

Installation

1. Clone the repository to your local machine using git clone.

2. Install dependencies by running npm install.

3. Set up a MongoDB database either locally or using a cloud service.

4. Configure the MongoDB connection URL in the application. Open config.js and replace MONGODB_URI with your MongoDB connection URL.

Usage

1. Start the application by running npm start.

2. Access the application through your web browser at http://localhost:3000.

3. To create a new shortened URL, enter a long URL in the input field on the homepage and click the "Generate" button. The application will display the shortened URL.

4. To view analytics for a specific shortened URL, append /analytics/:shortId to the base URL, where :shortId is the short ID generated for the URL. For example: http://localhost:3000/analytics/abc123.

API Endpoints

• POST /: Endpoint for generating a new short URL. Requires a request body with a url field containing the original long URL.

• GET /analytics/:shortId: Endpoint for retrieving analytics for a specific short URL. Replace :shortId with the short ID of the URL.

Technologies Used

• Node.js
• Express.js
• MongoDB
• Mongoose (ODM for MongoDB)
• shortid (Library for generating short IDs)

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