URL Shortener

This is a generic version of a URL shortener I had written for ChandlerBlvd in 2014, when short URLs were a big deal.

How it works

A privileged user can sign in and paste a URL into a form. When the form is submitted, a short string is generated. When an HTTP request is made for thisdomain.com/[short string], the response is a redirect to the original URL. This enables short URLs to be used in social systems where character counts matter. This also provides a way to track click-throughs.

The Stack

• Backend: Go
• Frontend: React
• Database: MongoDB

Getting Started

Add environment variables

Copy file .env.sample and name it .env:

cp .env.sample .env

Then edit the env file to set your preferred passwords, etc.

Running the app

To start the app:

docker compose build
docker compose up -d

The app will now be running at localhost:8080.

To stop the app:

docker compose down

License

This is provided under the MIT license. If you use it for something, please send me a private message to inflate my ego.

—Peter