URLShortly Backend - Laravel API

URLShortly is a URL shortener service built using Laravel for the backend, which handles URL storage, slug generation, and redirection.

Requirements

• PHP 8.2 or higher
• Laravel 11
• Laragon (Optional, for local development)
• Node.js
• Composer
• Postman (for API testing)

Features

• Create short URLs: Users can provide a long URL and an optional custom slug.
• Redirect to the original URL: Users are redirected to the original long URL when accessing the short link.
• Error handling: Provides appropriate error messages when the URL creation fails or the slug doesn't exist.

Technologies Used

• Laravel 11: The PHP framework used for routing, validation, and API responses.
• MySQL: Database used to store URLs and slugs.

Installation

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/handikatriarlan/URLShortly-be.git

2. Navigate to the Project Directory

cd URLShortly-be

3. Install PHP Dependencies

Run the following command to install the required PHP dependencies using Composer:

composer install

4. Configure Environment Variables

Copy the .env.example file to .env:

cp .env.example .env

5. Generate Application Key

Generate the application key:

php artisan key:generate

6. Setup the Database

Run the migrations to set up the database tables:

php artisan migrate

If you encounter any database connection issues, edit your .env file to match your local database credentials.

Example Before:

DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=laravel
DB_USERNAME=root
DB_PASSWORD=

Example After:

DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=shortlink
DB_USERNAME=handikatriarlan
DB_PASSWORD=arlan123

7. Install Node.js Dependencies

You will also need to install the Node.js dependencies for asset compilation:

npm install

8. Serve the Application

Run the application using the built-in Laravel server:

php artisan serve

The application will be available at http://127.0.0.1:8000.

9. Compile JavaScript and CSS Assets

In a separate terminal, run the following command to compile your assets:

npm run dev

10. API Testing

To test the API, you can use Postman or any other API testing tool. Be sure to add the Access-Token header with the correct token value (abc in this case) for routes protected by the VerifyAccessToken middleware.

Create a Short URL

POST /api/short-link
Request body:

{
  "url": "https://your-long-url.com",
  "slug": "your-slug"
}

Response:

{
  "message": "Link created successfully"
}

Redirect to Original URL

GET /your-slug
Redirects to the original long URL associated with the provided slug.

Error Handling

• 404 Not Found: When a non-existent slug is accessed.
• 500 Internal Server Error: For database or other server-side issues.