Link Analytics & Shortener API

A high-performance, scalable URL shortening and analytics platform built with Spring Boot and Java. This project goes beyond basic URL shortening by implementing Asynchronous Processing for click tracking and **In-Memory Caching ** to handle high-traffic redirections without database bottlenecks.

Tech Stack & Architecture

• Language: Java 17+
• Framework: Spring Boot (Web, Data JPA, Cache, Async)
• Database: Microsoft SQL Server (MSSQL)
• Boilerplate Reduction: Lombok
• Architecture: 3-Tier Architecture (Controller, Service, Repository)

Key Features & Engineering Highlights

• Base62 Encoding: Utilizes a custom Base62 algorithm to generate secure, short, and collision-resistant URL codes.
• ** In-Memory Caching (@Cacheable):** Frequently accessed short links are cached in RAM. This drastically reduces database read operations during URL redirection, allowing the system to scale under heavy load.
• ** Asynchronous Analytics (@Async):** Click events (Timestamp, IP Address, User-Agent) are recorded asynchronously. The user is redirected to the target URL instantly, while the analytics data is processed and saved to the database in a separate background thread.
• Data Integrity: Implements robust entity relationships (One-to-Many) between Links and Click Events using Hibernate/JPA.

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API Endpoints

1. Create a Short Link

Converts a long URL into a short code.

• URL: /api/v1/links
• Method: POST
• Body (JSON):

  {
    "originalUrl": "[https://www.github.com/meminksr](https://www.github.com/meminksr)"
  }
  

Response (String): Returns the generated short URL (e.g., http://localhost:8080/api/v1/links/aB3x9).

2. Redirect to Original URL Redirects the user to the original long URL and asynchronously tracks the click event.

URL: /{shortCode} (e.g., /aB3x9)

Method: GET

Response: HTTP 302 (Found) Redirect to the original URL.

3. Get Link Statistics Retrieves total click statistics for a specific short link.

URL: /api/v1/links/{shortCode}/stats

Method: GET

Response (JSON):

JSON { "originalUrl": "https://www.github.com/meminksr", "shortCode": "aB3x9", "totalClicks": 14 }

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How to Run Locally

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone [https://github.com/meminksr/LinkAnalytics.git](https://github.com/meminksr/LinkAnalytics.git)
   

Database Configuration: Ensure MSSQL is running. Update the src/main/resources/application.properties file with your database credentials:

Properties spring.datasource.url=jdbc:sqlserver://localhost:1433;databaseName=your_db;encrypt=true;trustServerCertificate=true; spring.datasource.username=your_username spring.datasource.password=your_password

3. Run the Application: Execute the following Maven command or run the LinkAnalyticsApplication.java via your IDE:

   mvn spring-boot:run

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Developed as a showcase of scalable backend engineering.