github.com/zy-131/url-shortener-api

url-shortener-api

URL Shortening API in GoLang

Features

• Generate short URLs using a random URL shortening algorithm
• Redirect to orignal URL when the short URL is accessed
• Easy to use REST API

Getting Started

Follow these instructions to download and run the project on your local machine

Prerequisites

• Go (version 1.18 or higher)
• Git

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   Navigate to your project directory

   Run the following command in your terminal:

   git clone https://github.com/zy-131/url-shortener-api.git
   cd url-shortener-api
   

2. Initialize the Go module:

   go mod init <module-name>
   

3. Install dependencies:

   go mod tidy
   

Running the API (Locally)

1. Navigate to your local project's root directory

2. Run the following command to start your local server:

   go run ./src/
   

3. With the server running, open a new terminal or Postman and send a POST request with the URL that you want to shorten

   Note: A GET request without an inital succesful POST request will result in a 404 StatusNotFound error

   Example (Powershell cURL):

   curl http://localhost:8080/shortenURL -METHOD POST -BODY '{"long_url": "<original-url>"}'
   

4. Open the shortened URL in a browser

   Ex: localhost:8080/abc123

API Endpoints

Create Short URL Endpoint

• Endpoint: POST /shortenURL

• Request Headers:

  • Content-Type: application/json

• Request Body:

  {
    "long_url": "https://www.example.com"
  }
  

  The long_url field is required and will return a 400 StatusBadRequest error if missing

• Response

  • Status Code:

    • 201 Created if successful

  • Response Body:

    • The shortened URL string will be returned as plain text

    "abc123"
    

• Error Response:

  • Status Code: 404 StatusBadRequest
  • Response Body:

  {
      "message": "No URL passed in"
  }
  

Redirect to Original URL

• Endpoint: GET /:shortenURL

• Parameters:

  • shortURL: The shortened URL identifier (ex: abc123 from http://localhost:8080/abc123)

• Response

  • Status Code:

    • 302 Found if shortened URL exists

    • Location header will contain original URL and cliented will be redirected

• Error Response:

  • Status Code: 404 StatusNotFound if the shortened URL does not exist
  • Response Body:

  {
      "message": "Short URL not found"
  }
  

Database

In progress ...