URL Shortener Service

This is a web application built with Laravel 11 and Vue.js that allows users to shorten long URLs into more manageable links. The application offers a variety of features, including user authentication, URL statistics, custom short URLs, and more.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Requirements
• Installation
• Configuration
• Usage
• API
• Security
• Roadmap
• Contributing
• License

Features

• URL Shortening: Convert long URLs into short, easy-to-share links.
• Redirection: Redirect users to the original URL when they access the short URL.
• User Authentication: Optional user registration and login to manage URLs.
• Dashboard: Authenticated users can view and manage their shortened URLs with analytics.
• URL Statistics: Track how many times a URL has been accessed, along with additional analytics.
• Custom Short URLs: Users can create custom short URLs instead of using randomly generated ones.
• Expiration Dates: Set expiration dates for short URLs.
• QR Code Generation: Automatically generate a QR code for each shortened URL.
• API Access: Provide API endpoints for integrating URL shortening into other applications.
• Admin Panel: Manage users, URLs, and monitor for malicious activity.
• Security Measures: Implement checks to prevent malicious URLs and rate limiting.

Requirements

• PHP 8.3 or higher
• Node.js 20.x or higher
• Composer
• MySQL or other supported database
• Redis (optional, for caching and queues)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/url-shortener-service.git
   cd url-shortener-service

2. Install PHP dependencies:

   composer install

3. Install Node.js dependencies:

   npm install

4. Copy the example environment file and set the application key:

   cp .env.example .env
   php artisan key:generate

5. Configure the environment variables:

   • Update your .env file with the necessary database and other configurations.

6. Run database migrations and seeders:

   php artisan migrate --seed

7. Build the front-end assets:

   npm run build

8. Start the development server:

   php artisan serve

Configuration

• Ensure that the .env file is correctly configured for your environment, including database, mail, and other service configurations.
• Set up your database, and ensure it's running.

Usage

• Unauthenticated Users:

  • Visit the homepage and input a long URL to generate a shortened URL.
  • Copy and share the shortened URL as needed.

• Authenticated Users:

  • Log in to access the dashboard.
  • Manage your shortened URLs, view statistics, and create custom short URLs.
  • Set expiration dates for URLs and download QR codes.

API

• The application provides an API for developers to integrate URL shortening into their own apps.
• Endpoints:
  • POST /api/shorten: Shorten a URL.
  • GET /api/stats/{short_url}: Retrieve statistics for a shortened URL.
• Refer to the API documentation for full details.

Security

• The application includes security measures to prevent abuse, such as rate limiting and malicious URL detection.
• Admins have the ability to manage users and URLs via the admin panel.

Roadmap

• Implement additional analytics features (e.g., geographic locations, devices).
• Add more customizable options for the front-end UI.
• Improve scalability and performance for high-traffic scenarios.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please follow the standard GitHub fork and pull request workflow.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for more information.