Open sourceBackend product implementation

url shortener

A URL shortening service with redirect handling and analytics-oriented tracking.

Source
URL Shortener

Problem

Short links need reliable redirects, predictable slug generation, and enough tracking to understand usage without overcomplicating the service.

Architecture

  • Node and Express handle shorten and redirect endpoints.
  • MongoDB stores original URLs, generated slugs, and analytics data.
  • A redirect route resolves slugs and records access events.
  • Validation protects the API from malformed URL input.

Key decisions

  • Kept the redirect path minimal because it is the hottest route.
  • Stored analytics with the short URL record for easier lookup.
  • Used clear REST endpoints so the service can be tested quickly.

Tradeoffs

  • Simple slug generation is easy to ship, but collision handling becomes important at scale.
  • Inline analytics are convenient, but high traffic would need a separate write path.

What I learned

  • Redirect services are small, but latency and correctness define the experience.
  • Analytics requirements should shape storage early.

Stack

Node.jsExpress.jsMongoDBREST APIAnalyticsURL Shortening
Open project