Zippy URL Shortening API Documentation

Zippy is a minimalist and efficient URL shortening service designed for simplicity and speed. This documentation provides a comprehensive guide on how to use the API for shortening long URLs into clean and shareable links.

Production URL

An Instance haven't been made live untill now. You can host it as per your needs!

Self-Hosting

• Requirements:

  • Node.js: Version 14 or higher
  • NPM: Version 9 or higher

• Getting latest files:

  • Using Git: Type git clone https://github.com/AaravMehta59/zippy.git in your terminal.
  • Mannual Labour: Download the latest zip, and upzip it in your desired location.

• How to start on your machine

  • Windows: Open start.bat on your computer and let the magic happen! The server will start on port 3000
  • Other OS: Open your terminal and type npm install && node index.js and run it! The server will start on port 3000

API Endpoints

Endpoint: POST /shorten

• Description: Shorten a long URL into a compact, shareable link.

• Request:

  • Method: POST
  • Endpoint: /shorten
  • Request Body:
    • url (string, required): The original URL to be shortened.
    • shorturl (string, optional): A custom short URL, if desired.
    • randomUrl (string: true or false, optional): Generates a random short URL, if specified true.

• Response:

  • Success (HTTP 200 OK):
    • JSON response with the shortened URL information.
  • Error (HTTP 400 Bad Request or 500 Internal Server Error):
    • JSON response with an error message.

• Example 1: For Custom ShortURL:

  • Request:

    {
      "url": "https://example.com",
      "shorturl": "mycustomshorturl"
    }

  • Response:

    {
      "message": "Short URL created successfully",
      "original_url": "https://example.com",
      "short_url": "https://localhost:3000/mycustomshorturl"
    }

• Example 2: For Random Short URL:

  • Request:

    {
      "url": "https://example.com",
      "randomUrl":"true"
    }

  • Response:

    {
      "info": "Short Url created successfully",
      "original_url": "https://example.com",
      "short_url": "https://localhost:3000/8ae6de"
    }

Endpoint: GET /:url

• Description: Redirect to the original URL associated with the provided short URL.

• Request:

  • Method: GET
  • Endpoint: /:url
  • URL Parameter:
    • url (string, required): The short URL to redirect.

• Response:

  • Success (HTTP 302 Found):
    • Redirects to the original URL associated with the short URL.
  • Error (HTTP 404 Not Found):
    • JSON response with an error message if the short URL is not found.

• Example:

  • Request:
    • Accessing https://localhost:3000/mycustomshorturl will redirect to the original URL associated with the short URL.

Endpoint: GET /

• Description: A simple welcome message for the LinkZip service.

• Request:

  • Method: GET
  • Endpoint: /

• Response:

  • Success (HTTP 200 OK):
    • A plain text response containing the welcome message.