URL Shortener

A simple and efficient web application to shorten long URLs, built with React (frontend), Node.js + Express (backend), and MongoDB. Includes an admin page to view all shortened URLs and their visit statistics.

Features

• Shorten any long URL to a simple, shareable link
• Redirects short URLs to the original long URL
• Tracks the number of visits for each short URL
• Admin page to view all shortened URLs and stats

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16+ recommended)
• MongoDB (local or cloud instance)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/Aditya-Mishra9670/URLshortner.git
   cd URLshortner

2. Backend Setup:

   cd server
   npm install
   # Create a .env file (see below for example)
   npm start

   Example .env for backend:

   MONGO_URI=mongodb://127.0.0.1:27017/urlShortener
   BASE_URL=http://localhost:5000
   PORT=5000

3. Frontend Setup:

   cd ../client/urlshortner
   npm install
   # Create a .env file (see below for example)
   npm run dev

   Example .env for frontend:

   VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:5000/api/shorten

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Usage Guide

User Side

1. Open the frontend in your browser (default: http://localhost:5173 or http://localhost:3000)
2. Enter a long URL in the input form and submit.
3. Copy the generated short URL and share it.
4. Visiting the short URL will redirect to the original long URL.

Admin Page

• Click the "Go to Admin Page" button in the UI.
• View all shortened URLs and their visit counts.

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API Endpoints

1. Shorten URL

• POST /api/shorten
• Body: { "url": "https://www.example.com/very/long/path" }
• Response: { "shortUrl": "http://localhost:5000/abc123" }

2. Redirect to Original URL

• GET /:code
• Description: Redirects to the original URL for the given short code.
• Example: GET http://localhost:5000/abc123 → Redirects to the original URL.

3. Get All Shortened URLs (Admin)

• GET /api/urls
• Response:

  [
    {
      "_id": "...",
      "originalUrl": "https://www.example.com/very/long/path",
      "shortCode": "abc123",
      "shortUrl": "http://localhost:5000/abc123",
      "visitCount": 5,
      "createdAt": "2025-08-26T12:34:56.789Z"
    },
    ...
  ]

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Project Structure

URLshortner/
├── client/
│   └── urlshortner/
│       ├── src/
│       ├── .env
│       └── ...
├── server/
│   ├── index.js
│   ├── .env
│   └── ...
└── README.md

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.