README.md

URL Shortener in Go

This project is a simple URL shortener built in Go. It allows users to shorten long URLs and provides redirection to the original URLs when the shortened URL is visited.

Features

• Generate a short URL for any long URL.
• Redirect users to the original URL using the short URL.
• In-memory URL store (no persistence across restarts).

Project Structure

• main.go: The entry point of the application that sets up the HTTP server and routes.
• store.go: Contains logic for the in-memory URL storage and URL generation.
• handlers.go: Contains the HTTP handler functions for shortening and redirecting URLs.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Go installed on your machine.

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/go-url-shortener.git
   cd go-url-shortener

2. Run the application:

   go run *.go

3. The server will start on localhost:8080.

API Endpoints

1. Shorten URL

• Endpoint: /shorten

• Method: POST

• Request Body: JSON with the original URL:

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

• Response: JSON with the shortened URL:

  {
    "short_url": "abc123"
  }

Example:

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/shorten \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"url":"https://www.example.com"}'

2. Redirect to Original URL

• Endpoint: `/r/{short_url}
• Method: GET
• Response: Redirects to the original URL

Example:

http://localhost:8080/r/abc123

Future Enhancements

• Persistent storage (e.g., using a database).
• Custom short URL creation.
• URL expiration feature.