LinkRadr - URL Shortener

A modern URL shortening service built with Django that provides secure URL management with user authentication and tracking capabilities.

Key Features

• URL Shortening: Generate concise URLs for long web addresses
• User Authentication: Email-based signup/login with OTP verification
• Custom Short URLs: Create personalized memorable short links
• Analytics: Track clicks and usage statistics
• Responsive Design: Mobile-first interface that works on all devices
• One-Click Copy: Easy clipboard copying of shortened URLs
• Profile Dashboard: Manage all your shortened URLs in one place

Technology Stack

• Backend: Django 5.1 with custom user authentication
• Frontend: HTML, CSS, JavaScript
• Database: SQLite
• Server: Nginx + Gunicorn
• Containerization: Docker + Docker Compose
• CI/CD: GitHub Actions for automated deployment

Installation

1. Clone the repository and enter the directory:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/linkradr.git
   cd linkradr

2. Create a .env file with required variables:

   SECRET_KEY=your_secret_key
   DEBUG=True
   ALLOWED_HOSTS=localhost,127.0.0.1
   EMAIL_HOST=smtp.your-email-provider.com
   EMAIL_PORT=587
   EMAIL_HOST_USER=your-email@example.com
   EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD=your-email-password

3. Build and run with Docker Compose:

   docker-compose up --build

4. Access the application at http://localhost:8000

Local Development Setup

1. Create and activate virtual environment:

   python3 -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate

2. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Run migrations:

   python manage.py migrate

4. Start development server:

   python manage.py runserver

Project Structure

• authapp - Custom authentication app
• shortener - Core URL shortening functionality
• templates - HTML templates
• static/ - CSS, JS and images
• nginx - Nginx configuration
• scripts - Deployment scripts

Deployment

The project includes GitHub Actions workflow for AWS EC2 deployment:

1. Add required secrets to GitHub repository:

   • EC2_HOST: EC2 instance hostname/IP
   • EC2_SSH_KEY: SSH private key

2. Push to main branch to trigger deployment

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Submit a pull request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Acknowledgments

• Made at CUSAT (Cochin University of Science and Technology)
• Special thanks to all contributors