URL Shortener Service

Table of Contents

• Description
• Feautres
• Instalation
• API Endpoints
• Future Improvements
• License

Description

A simple URL shortener service built using Flask and MySQL. This service allows users to shorten long URLs and redirect to the original URLs.

Features

• Shorten URLs: Convert long URLs into short, manageable links.
• Redirect to Original URL: Redirect users from short URLs to their original destinations.
• Database Storage: MySQL is used to store URL mappings.

Instalation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10.6
• MySQL Server

Steps

1. Clone the Repository

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

2. Create and Activate a Virtual Environment

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

3. Install Dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Set Up the Database

   • Start your MySQL server.
   • Create a new database called mydatabase and set up the required schema.

   SQL Script to Initialize the Database:

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   CREATE DATABASE mydatabase;
   USE mydatabase;
   
   CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS urls (
       id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
       original_url TEXT NOT NULL,
       shortened_path VARCHAR(255) UNIQUE NOT NULL
   );

5. Configure the Flask Application

   Update the database connection URL in your Flask configuration file to match your MySQL server settings.

   Example configuration in app/config.py:

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   import os
   
   class Config:
       SQLALCHEMY_DATABASE_URI = os.getenv('DATABASE_URL', 'mysql+pymysql://root:password@localhost:3306/mydatabase')
       SQLALCHEMY_TRACK_MODIFICATIONS = False

6. Run the Flask Application

   Ensure the MySQL server is running and start your Flask application:

   flask run

   This will start the Flask app on http://localhost:5000.

API Endpoints

• POST /api/ - Shortenes the url and maps it into the database
• GET /api/<shortened_url> - Redirectes the shortened url to it's original url

For a complete list of endpoints and their usage, refer to the OpenAPI documentation available at http://localhost:5000 after running the spring-boot application.

Technologies Used

• Flask
• Flask-SQLAlchemy
• MySQL
• SQLAlchemy
• PyMySQL

Future Improvements

1. Custom Header Authentication for Redirects
   • Introduce authentication mechanisms (e.g., API keys, OAuth) to make querying redirects more secure, especially for use cases that involve sensitive or private links.
2. POST Request for Redirect
   • Implement a POST request that accepts the shortened_path in the body of the request, rather than as part of the URL. This could make the API more versatile and enhance security.

License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 License. See the LICENSE file for details