README.md

URL Shortener Service

A simple URL shortener service written in Go. This service allows users to submit any URL to be shortened and receive a valid shortened URL that will forward the user's request to the original URL.

Features

• Shorten any valid URL
• Redirect to the original URL using the shortened URL
• JSON responses for errors and successful operations

Prerequisites

• Go (version 1.18 or higher)
• Docker (optional, for containerized testing)
• Git

Getting Started

Clone the Repository

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

Running Locally

1. Install Dependencies:

   go mod download

2. Run the Application:

   go run main.go

3. Test the Application:

   go test -v ./...

Using Docker

1. Build the Docker Image:

   docker build -t urlshortener:latest .

2. Run the Docker Container:

   docker run -p 8080:8080 urlshortener:latest

API Endpoints

• Shorten URL:

  PUT /shorten
  Content-Type: application/json
  
  Request Body:
  {
     "destination": "https://www.google.com"
  }
    
  Response Body:
  {
     "shortened_url": "http://localhost:8080/abc123"
  }

• Redirect to Original URL:

  GET /{shortcode}
  
  Example:
  GET /abc123

Testing the Endpoints

• Shorten a URL:

  curl -X PUT http://localhost:8080/shorten -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"destination": "https://www.google.com"}'

• Redirect to the Original URL:

  Assuming the shortened URL returned is http://localhost:8080/abc123, you can use:

  curl -L http://localhost:8080/abc123