🔗 URL Shortener Project

A lightweight, efficient URL Shortener application built with Node.js, Express, and MongoDB. This backend-focused project allows users to convert long URLs into short ones and redirect back to the original destination—showcasing key backend skills such as API development, error handling, and database management.

✨ Features

• 🔗 Shorten URLs: Generate unique, shortened links
• ↪️ Redirection: Automatically redirect short URLs to the original link
• 📡 REST API: Clean endpoints for interacting with the application
• 💾 MongoDB Integration: URL mappings stored using Mongoose ODM
• 🚫 Error Handling: Invalid URLs and non-existent short codes handled gracefully
• 🔧 Modular Design: Easily extendable for auth, analytics, and more

🛠 Tech Stack

• Backend: Node.js, Express.js
• Database: MongoDB (with Mongoose)
• Utilities: dotenv, nanoid or shortid for unique code generation

📁 Folder Structure

Url-Shortner/
├── controllers/
├── models/
├── routes/
├── .env
├── app.js
├── package.json
└── README.md

⚙️ How It Works

1. A POST request is made with a long URL
2. Server generates a short ID and stores the mapping in MongoDB
3. A GET request with the short code redirects to the original URL

🔄 Sample API Usage

➕ Create Short URL

POST /api/shorten

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

Response:

{
  "shortUrl": "https://yourdomain.com/abc123"
}

🔁 Redirect

GET /:shortCode Redirects user to the original long URL

🧪 Running Locally

git clone https://github.com/Sonupandit9693/Learning-Node-js-Project.git
cd Learning-Node-js-Project/Url-Shortner
npm install

• Create a .env file with:

  MONGODB_URI=your-mongodb-connection-string
  BASE_URL=http://localhost:3000

npm start

• Test the API using Postman, Thunder Client, or a browser.

📚 What I Learned

• REST API architecture with Express
• MongoDB schema modeling and integration
• Error handling and async programming
• Environment configuration and scalable folder structures