URL Shortener

A simple URL shortener application built using Node.js, Express, and MongoDB. This app allows users to shorten long URLs and access them via a short alias. It tracks the number of clicks for each short URL.

Features

• Shorten long URLs and store them in a MongoDB database.
• Redirect to the original URL when accessing the short URL.
• Track the number of clicks for each shortened URL.

Tech Stack

• Node.js: JavaScript runtime for building the server-side application.
• Express: Web framework for Node.js to handle routing and middleware.
• MongoDB: NoSQL database to store the original URLs and their shortened versions.
• Mongoose: ODM (Object Data Modeling) library to interact with MongoDB.
• shortid: A package used to generate short, unique IDs for the shortened URLs.
• EJS: Templating engine to render views on the frontend.

Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v12 or higher)
• MongoDB (local or cloud instance)

Steps to Set Up

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/url_shortener.git
   cd url_shortener

2. Install dependencies:

   npm i

3. Set up MongoDB locally or use a cloud-based service like MongoDB Atlas.

4. Start the development server:

   npm run dev

   This will run the application using nodemon, which automatically reloads the server on code changes.

5. Open your browser and visit http://localhost:5000 to start using the URL shortener.

Endpoints

GET /: Displays a list of all shortened URLs and the option to create a new one. POST /shortURLs: Accepts a full URL to shorten and stores it in the database. GET /:shortUrl: Redirects to the original URL when the short URL is accessed.

Example

Go to the home page and submit a URL to shorten. After submission, you will receive a short URL (e.g., http://localhost:5000/oOGL8b04Y). Access the short URL to be redirected to the original URL. Each time the short URL is accessed, the click count is updated in the database.