URL Shortener (Django)

A simple Django-based URL shortener that allows users to shorten long URLs and redirect to the original links using the generated short codes.

Features

• Shortens long URLs into a unique short code.
• Redirects users to the original URL when they visit the shortened URL.
• Generates random short codes for URLs.
• Stores URLs and short codes in a database (using SQLite or any other database supported by Django).

Technologies Used

• Django: The web framework used for building the URL shortener.
• SQLite: Default database (you can switch to PostgreSQL, MySQL, etc.).
• Python: Programming language used to write the project.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Ensure that you have the following installed on your local development machine:

• Python 3.12
• Django
• Git

Setup Instructions

1. Clone the Repository

   First, clone the repository to your local machine using Git:

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

2. Navigate to the Project Directory

   Move into the project directory:

   cd url-shortener-django

3. Create and Activate Virtual Environment

   Create a Python virtual environment and activate it:

   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # Mac/Linux
   venv\Scripts\activate  # Windows

4. Install Dependencies

   Install all the dependencies listed in the requirements.txt file:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

5. Apply Database Migrations

   Set up the database by applying the migrations:

   python manage.py migrate

6. Run the Development Server

   Start the Django development server:

   python manage.py runserver

7. Visit the Application

   Open a browser and visit:

   http://localhost:8000
   

Creating a Shortened URL

• Enter a long URL in the provided form, and the app will generate a short code.
• You will be provided with a shortened URL, which you can share or use to redirect to the original URL.

Redirecting to the Original URL

To use the shortened URL, visit:

http://localhost:8000/<short_code>

This will redirect you to the original URL associated with the short code.

Project Structure

url_shortener/
├── manage.py
├── shortener/
│   ├── migrations/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── admin.py
│   ├── apps.py
│   ├── models.py
│   ├── urls.py
│   ├── views.py
├── templates/
│   └── shortener/
│       ├── home.html
│       └── success.html
├── url_shortener/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── settings.py
│   ├── urls.py
│   └── wsgi.py
├── requirements.txt
└── README.md

Future Improvements

• Allow users to create custom short codes.
• Implement user authentication to track personalized short links.
• Add analytics for the number of times a short URL has been visited.

License

This project is open-source and available under the MIT License.