URL Shortening

Description

This project implements a URL shortening service using Node.js, Express, and MongoDB as the tech stack. JWT (JSON Web Token) authentication is implemented for user authentication and authorization. The project also utilizes a dotenv file for configuration, where environment variables like PORT, MONGODB_URL, and JWT_SECRET_KEY are defined.

Tech Stack

• Node.js: JavaScript runtime
• Express: Web application framework for Node.js
• MongoDB: NoSQL database for storing URL data
• JWT: JSON Web Token for user authentication
• Bcrypt: Library for hashing passwords

Project Structure

• Config: Contains middleware (jwt_middleware.js) for JWT authentication and MongoDB connection setup (mongoose.js).
• Controller: Holds controllers for handling user authentication (user.js), URL creation (url.js), and home route (home.js).
• Model: Defines MongoDB schemas for the User and Url models.
• Routes: Contains route definitions using Express in index.js.
• .env: Configuration file with environment variables (PORT, MONGODB_URL, JWT_SECRET_KEY).

Routes

Home

• GET /: Renders the home page.

User Authentication

• POST /sign-up: Registers a new user. Requires name, email, and password.
• POST /sign-in: Logs in a user. Requires email and password.

URL Shortening

• POST /shorten: Creates a shortened URL. Requires a valid JWT token for authentication.
• GET /:shortURL: Redirects to the original URL corresponding to the provided short URL. Requires a valid JWT token for authorization.

Middleware

JWT Authentication Middleware (jwt_middleware.js)

• Verifies the JWT token provided in the request headers.
• Checks for the existence and validity of the token.
• Extracts the user ID from the token and attaches it to the request object.

Controllers

User Controller (user.js)

• signUp: Handles user registration. Checks for existing email, hashes the password, creates a new user, and returns a JWT token.
• signIn: Handles user login. Validates email and password, returns a JWT token upon successful authentication.

URL Controller (url.js)

• createUrl: Handles the creation of shortened URLs. Requires a valid JWT token for user authorization.
• redirectToOriginalUrl: Redirects to the original URL based on the provided short URL. Requires a valid JWT token for user authorization.

MongoDB Schema

Url Schema (url.js)

• shortURL: String, represents the shortened URL.
• redirectURL: String, stores the original URL to which the short URL redirects.
• user: ObjectId, references the user who created the shortened URL (one-to-many relationship).

User Schema (user.js)

• name: String, represents the user's name.
• email: String, represents the user's email (unique).
• password: String, represents the hashed password.
• timestamps: Automatically tracks the creation and modification timestamps.

Running the Application

1. Create a .env file and set the following variables:

   PORT=8080
   MONGODB_URL=mongodb+srv://your_username:your_password@cluster0.your_mongodb.net/your_database_name
   JWT_SECRET_KEY=your_secret_key
   

2. Run the MongoDB database using the provided connection string.
3. Install dependencies: npm install
4. Start the server: npm start
5. Access the application at http://localhost:8080 (Locally) or https://url-shortner-ayo6.onrender.com/ (Deployed Website)

Certainly! Below is a sample API request for testing the /shorten endpoint, including headers and a token. This example assumes you have successfully obtained a valid JWT token during the user authentication process.

Test API Sample

Access the website at http://localhost:8080 (Locally) or https://url-shortner-ayo6.onrender.com/ (Deployed Website)

Create Shortened URL

Endpoint: POST /shorten

Request Headers:

• Content-Type: application/json
• Authorization: Bearer <Your JWT Token>

Request Body:

{
  "redirectURL": "https://www.example.com"
}

Response:

{
  "shortURL": "abc123",
  "redirectURL": "https://www.example.com"
}

Obtaining JWT Token

To obtain a valid JWT token for testing, you can follow these steps:

1. Register a new user:

   • Endpoint: POST /sign-up
   • Request Body:

     {
       "name": "Test User",
       "email": "test@example.com",
       "password": "testpassword"
     }

   • After a successful registration, you will receive a JWT token in the response.

2. Log in with the registered user:

   • Endpoint: POST /sign-in
   • Request Body:

     {
       "email": "test@example.com",
       "password": "testpassword"
     }

   • After a successful login, you will receive a new JWT token in the response.

3. Use the obtained token in the /shorten endpoint:

   • Copy the JWT token from the login response.
   • Include it in the Authorization header of subsequent requests to protected endpoints.

Note: Make sure to replace <Your JWT Token> with the actual JWT token obtained during the authentication process.

This test API sample demonstrates how to create a shortened URL by sending a POST request to the /shorten endpoint with the required headers and a valid JWT token. Adjust the values accordingly based on your actual implementation and testing requirements.