README.md

URL Shortener Service

This project provides a URL shortening service with a scalable architecture using Docker, Redis, and Nginx for load balancing. The services can generate shortened URLs, handle redirections, and ensure smooth traffic routing.

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Features

• URL Shortening: Allows users to shorten long URLs into a simple, easy-to-share format.
• Redirection Service: Redirects users from shortened URLs to the original long URL.
• Redis Caching: Uses Redis to cache data and improve response times.
• Scalable Architecture: Can easily scale to meet high traffic demands.
• Nginx Proxy: Acts as a reverse proxy to handle and route traffic between services efficiently.
• Health Check: Health endpoint (/healthz) to monitor the service's status.
• Security Features: Uses secure headers and secrets (JWT, Google OAuth, etc.).

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Project Architecture

This project is split into three services:

1. Redis: For caching the shortened URLs and enhancing performance.
2. URL Shortener Service: Responsible for generating the shortened URLs and handling requests.
3. URL Redirection Service: Responsible for redirecting the users to the original URLs when accessing a shortened URL.
4. Nginx: Acts as a reverse proxy to distribute the traffic between the services.

Architecture Overview:

• Nginx: The entry point for user requests. Nginx routes /api/shorten requests to the URL shortener and /api/redirect requests to the URL redirection service.
• Redis: Redis acts as an intermediary data store, caching the shortened URLs to boost speed and reduce the need for repeated database calls.

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Technologies Used

• Docker: Used for containerizing the services.
• Nginx: As a reverse proxy for load balancing and traffic routing.
• Redis: To store and cache shortened URLs.
• OAuth (Google): For user authentication and security.
• JWT: Secure authentication and authorization.

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Docker installed on your machine.

• Docker Compose installed.

• Environment variables set up in a .env file:

  REDIS_URL=<Your Redis URL>
  DATABASE_URL=<Your Database URL>
  FRONTEND_URL=<Your Frontend URL>
  GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=<Google OAuth Client ID>
  GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=<Google OAuth Client Secret>
  GOOGLE_CALLBACK_URL=<Google OAuth Callback URL>
  JWT_SECRET_KEY=<Secret key for JWT>
  SESSION_SECRET=<Secret key for sessions>
  GUEST_ID=<Guest ID>

Running the Project

To run the project, follow these steps:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/Abdev1205/slink.git
   cd url-shortener

2. Build and start the services using Docker Compose:

   docker-compose up --build

3. The services will start in the following order:

   • Redis
   • URL Shortener Service
   • URL Redirection Service
   • Nginx

4. Once the containers are running:

   • Access the URL shortening API at http://localhost/api/shorten.
   • Access the redirection service at http://localhost/api/redirect.

5. To check the health of the services:

   curl http://localhost/healthz

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Best Practices Followed

1. Separation of Concerns: Different services handle distinct tasks (shortening URLs, redirecting, caching).
2. Environment Variables: All sensitive configurations such as database URLs, JWT secrets, and OAuth credentials are managed through environment variables.
3. Caching with Redis: Caching the shortened URLs in Redis improves performance by reducing repeated database lookups.
4. Dockerized Services: Each service is containerized, allowing for easy scaling and management of the services.
5. Security Best Practices:
   • Secure headers in Nginx.
   • Use of HTTPS for proxies with proxy_ssl_protocols to secure data transmission.
6. Nginx Debug Logs: Debug-level logging enabled for Nginx to easily track issues during development.
7. Health Check Endpoint: Provides a simple /healthz endpoint for monitoring and automated health checks.
8. CI/CD Friendly: Designed for seamless integration with CI/CD pipelines using Docker.

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Demo