4Links Backend

4Links is a URL shortening service that allows users to create, manage, and track shortened URLs.

Table of Contents

• Getting Started
  • Prerequisites
  • Installation
  • Configuration
  • Running the Server
• API Documentation
  • Create a Shortened URL
  • Get All URLs
  • Get a Shortened URL
  • Read a URL
  • Update a URL
  • Delete a URL
  • Redirect to the Original URL
• License

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js
• Express
• MongoDB
• Clerk

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/4links-backend.git
   cd 4links-backend

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

Configuration

1. Create a .env file based on the .env.example:

   cp .env.example .env

2. Update the .env file with your MongoDB URI and other configuration settings.

   # MongoDB connection URI
   MONGODB_URI=your_mongodb_uri
   
   # Server port
   PORT=5000
   
   # Clerk API keys for authentication and authorization
   CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=your_clerk_publishable_key
   CLERK_SECRET_KEY=your_clerk_secret_key

Running the Server

1. Start the server:

   npm start

The server will be running on http://localhost:5000.

API Documentation

Create a Shortened URL

• Endpoint: POST /api/shorten
• Description: Creates a shortened URL.
• Request Body:

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

• Response:

  {
    "shortUrl": "abc123"
  }

Get All URLs

• Endpoint: GET /api/all
• Description: Retrieves all URLs.
• Response:

  [
    {
      "originalUrl": "https://example.com",
      "shortUrl": "abc123"
    },
    ...
  ]

Get a Shortened URL

• Endpoint: GET /api/get-short-url
• Description: Retrieves a shortened URL for a given original URL.
• Request Query:

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

• Response:

  {
    "shortUrl": "abc123"
  }

Read a URL

• Endpoint: GET /api/:shortUrl
• Description: Retrieves the original URL for a given shortened URL.
• Response:

  {
    "originalUrl": "https://example.com",
    "shortUrl": "abc123"
  }

Update a URL

• Endpoint: PUT /api/:shortUrl
• Description: Updates the original URL for a given shortened URL.
• Request Body:

  {
    "originalUrl": "https://newexample.com"
  }

• Response:

  {
    "originalUrl": "https://newexample.com",
    "shortUrl": "abc123"
  }

Delete a URL

• Endpoint: DELETE /api/:shortUrl
• Description: Deletes a shortened URL.
• Response:

  {
    "message": "URL deleted"
  }

Redirect to the Original URL

• Endpoint: GET /api/r/:shortUrl
• Description: Redirects to the original URL associated with the shortened URL.

Example Usage

To use the 4Links backend package in your project, follow these steps:

Install the package:

npm install @khabzox/4links-backend

Import and use the functions in your project:

import express from "express";
import {
  connectDB,
  setupMiddleware,
  createUrl,
  readUrl,
  updateUrl,
  deleteUrl,
  getAllUrls,
  getShortenedUrl,
  redirectUrl,
} from "@khabzox/4links-backend";

const app = express();

// Connect to MongoDB
connectDB();

// Setup middleware
setupMiddleware(app);

// Define routes
app.post("/shorten", createUrl);
app.get("/all", getAllUrls);
app.get("/get-short-url", getShortenedUrl);
app.get("/:shortUrl", readUrl);
app.put("/:shortUrl", updateUrl);
app.delete("/:shortUrl", deleteUrl);
app.get("/r/:shortUrl", redirectUrl);

const PORT = process.env.PORT || 5000;
app.listen(PORT, () => {
  console.log(`Server running on port ${PORT}`);
});

License

• This project is licensed under the MIT License.