URL Shortener

A simple, high-performance URL shortener service built with Go and Gin web framework, featuring multiple storage backends and a clean architecture.

Features

• URL Shortening: Convert long URLs to short, memorable links
• Automatic Redirection: Short URLs automatically redirect to their original destination
• Multiple Storage Backends:
  • In-memory (default, non-persistent)
  • Redis (persistent, recommended for production)
• RESTful API: Simple and intuitive API endpoints
• Health Check: Built-in health check endpoint
• Environment-based Configuration: Easy configuration through environment variables
• Concurrent-safe: Thread-safe implementation for high concurrency

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Go 1.16 or higher
• Git (for cloning the repository)
• (Optional) Redis (for persistent storage)

Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the cmd/url-shortener directory with the following variables:

PORT=8080
REDIS_ADDR=localhost:6379  # Only required if using Redis

• (Optional) Redis server if using Redis storage

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/pj1527/url-shortner.git
   cd url-shortner

2. Install dependencies:

   go mod download

Running the Application

Using In-Memory Storage (Default)

go run cmd/url-shortener/main.go

Using Redis Storage

1. Make sure Redis is running
2. Set up your .env file with Redis configuration
3. Run the application:

   go run cmd/url-shortener/main.go

API Documentation

1. Shorten a URL

Request

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/shorten \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url": "https://example.com/very/long/url"}'

Response

{
  "short_url": "http://localhost:8080/abc123"
}

2. Redirect to Original URL

Request

curl -L http://localhost:8080/abc123

3. Health Check

Request

curl http://localhost:8080/health

Response:

{
  "status": "UP"
}

Architecture

The application follows a clean architecture with clear separation of concerns:

• Handler: HTTP request handling and response formatting
• Service: Business logic and use cases
• Repository: Data access layer with support for multiple storage backends
• Config: Environment configuration management
• Utils: Helper functions and utilities

Configuration

Environment Variable	Default	Description
PORT	8080	Port to run the server on
REDIS_ADDR	localhost:6379	Redis server address (if using Redis)