URL Shortener

A simple URL shortener service built with Flask, SQLAlchemy, and SQLite in Python.

Features

• URL Shortening: Converts long URLs into short, unique codes.
• Redirection: Redirects users from the shortened URL to the original URL.
• Click Tracking: Counts the number of times a shortened URL is accessed.
• Analytics: Provides a view of all shortened URLs and their click counts.

Technologies Used

• Flask: A lightweight Python web framework.
• SQLAlchemy: An SQL toolkit and Object-Relational Mapper (ORM) for Python.
• SQLite: A C-language library that implements a small, fast, self-contained, high reliability, full-featured, SQL database engine.
• HTML/CSS: For basic front-end templating and styling.

TO-DO

• Add favicon
• Rate Limiting: Implement rate limiting to prevent abuse of the URL shortening service. (Consider using Flask-Limiter).
• Custom Short Codes: Allow users to specify custom short codes for their URLs.

Setup and Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/HomeDev68/urlshortener
   cd urlshortener

2. Create a virtual environment (recommended):

   python3 -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Initialize the database:

   The database will be automatically created when you run the application for the first time. The database file (urls.db) will be located in the db directory.

5. Run the application:

   python main.py

   The application will start in debug mode and be accessible at http://127.0.0.1:5000/.

Usage

1. Shorten a URL: Enter a long URL in the input field on the homepage and submit the form. You will receive a shortened URL.

2. Access the Original URL: Navigate to the shortened URL in your browser. You will be redirected to the original URL, and the click count for that shortened URL will be incremented.

3. View Analytics: Go to the /analytics route to see a list of all shortened URLs and their corresponding click counts.

Future Improvements

• Rate Limiting: Implement rate limiting to prevent abuse of the URL shortening service. (Consider using Flask-Limiter).
• Custom Short Codes: Allow users to specify custom short codes for their URLs.
• User Authentication: Add user accounts to manage shortened URLs and track usage.
• Improved Front-End: Enhance the user interface with a more modern design and better user experience.
• Deployment: Deploy the application to a production environment (e.g., Heroku, AWS, etc.).

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.

License

LICENSE