LinkNex - URL Shortener

A fast, secure URL shortening service built with FastAPI and Next.js.

Features

• Shorten long URLs with custom aliases
• Set expiration dates for URLs
• Multi-level caching (Redis + in-memory)
• Rate limiting and security headers
• Responsive web interface
• URL management with pagination

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8+
• Node.js 18+
• PostgreSQL
• Redis

Backend Setup

cd backend
pip install -r requirements.txt
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your database credentials
alembic upgrade head
uvicorn app.main:app --reload

Backend runs on http://localhost:8000

Frontend Setup

cd frontend
npm install
npm run dev

Frontend runs on http://localhost:3000

API Usage

Create Short URL

curl -X POST "http://localhost:8000/api/v1/urls/create" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "original_url": "https://example.com/very/long/url",
    "custom_alias": "my-link",
    "expires_in_days": 30
  }'

Access Short URL

curl "http://localhost:8000/abc123"
# Redirects to original URL

Environment Variables

Backend (.env)

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:pass@localhost:5432/url_shortener_db
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379/0
SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key-here
BASE_URL=http://localhost:8000
CORS_ORIGINS=http://localhost:3000

Tech Stack

Backend: FastAPI, PostgreSQL, Redis, SQLAlchemy
Frontend: Next.js 16, React 19, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS