URL Shortener

A Django-based web application that allows users to shorten long URLs into shorter, easy-to-share links. This project demonstrates model design, form handling, and basic analytics for tracking URL usage.

Features

• URL shortening: Converts long URLs into concise, unique short links.
• Redirection: Redirects users from short links to the original URLs.
• Tracking analytics: Records how many times a short URL has been visited.
• Admin interface: Manage and view shortened URLs via Django admin.
• Form validation: User-friendly Django forms for URL input.
• Random code generation: Ensures unique short links for each URL.

Demo

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Python 3.6+
• Django 3.x

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/SulemanMughal/url-shortner.git
   cd url-shortner/url_shortner

2. Install dependencies

   pip install django

3. Apply migrations

   python manage.py migrate

4. Run the server

   python manage.py runserver

5. Open in browser

   • Visit http://127.0.0.1:8000/ to access the URL shortener.

Usage

1. Enter a long URL in the form and submit.
2. Receive a shortened URL to share.
3. When the short URL is visited, users are redirected to the original link.
4. The number of times each short URL is followed is tracked.

Project Structure

url_shortner/
├── manage.py
├── url_shortner/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── asgi.py
│   ├── settings.py
│   ├── urls.py
│   ├── wsgi.py
├── urlshortener/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── admin.py
│   ├── apps.py
│   ├── forms.py
│   ├── migrations/
│   ├── models.py
│   ├── templates/
│   ├── tests.py
│   ├── urls.py
│   ├── utils.py
│   └── views.py

Main Components

• Model (Shortener): Stores original and short URLs, creation date, and visit count.
• Views:
  • home_view — handles the form for submitting long URLs and displaying the result.
  • redirect_url_view — handles redirection from short to long URLs and increments visit count.
• Forms: Django forms for URL input and validation.
• Utilities: Random code generator for creating unique short URLs.
• Templates: Responsive HTML (Bootstrap) for UI.

Django Admin

• Run python manage.py createsuperuser to create an admin account.
• Visit /admin to manage short URLs.

Configuration

• By default, uses SQLite for storage.
• Adjust settings in url_shortner/settings.py as needed.

License

MIT License

Author

Suleman Mughal