MERN Stack · Production Grade · URL Management

Shortly

A fast, scalable URL shortener built with the full MERN stack. Converts long URLs into short shareable links with click tracking, link management, and a clean responsive UI.

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Project Overview

What is Shortly?

Shortly is a production-grade URL shortener that demonstrates scalable backend design. Users paste a long URL, the backend generates a unique short code, stores it in MongoDB, and every subsequent visit to the short link redirects to the original URL while incrementing the click counter.

The system includes full link management. view all links, copy short URLs, see click counts, and delete links. Server-side validation catches invalid URLs before they ever hit the database.

Built with scalability in mind: the short code generation is collision-resistant, and MongoDB indexes ensure fast redirect lookups even at scale.

TypeFull Stack Web App

FrontendReact.js + Axios

BackendNode.js + Express.js

DatabaseMongoDB + Mongoose

Key FeaturesShort codes, Click tracking, Link mgmt

Status Complete

How It Works

The Flow

User pastes long URL into the form

→

Backend generates unique short code

→

URL + code saved to MongoDB

→

Short link shared anywhere

→

Click redirects + counter increments

URL Shortening

Converts any long URL into a short unique code. Collision-resistant generation algorithm.

Smart Redirect

Visiting the short link instantly redirects to the original URL with near-zero latency.

Click Tracking

Every redirect increments a click counter. See exactly how many times your link was visited.

Link Management

View all shortened links, copy to clipboard, delete unwanted links from the dashboard.

Server Validation

URL format validation and error handling on the server before anything hits the database.

Responsive UI

Clean React frontend that works perfectly on desktop, tablet, and mobile.

Backend

API Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/shorten	Shorten a URL — returns short code
GET	/:shortCode	Redirect to original URL + increment click count
GET	/api/links	Get all shortened links with stats
DELETE	/api/links/:id	Delete a shortened link

POST /shorten — Request body:

{ "longUrl": "https://example.com/very/long/url?with=params" }

Response:

{ "shortUrl": "http://localhost:5000/abc123", "shortCode": "abc123" }