URL Shortener Service

High-performance URL shortener built with ASP.NET Core 9 Minimal APIs and Vertical Slice Architecture. Features collision-safe short code generation, comprehensive click analytics with IP detection, PostgreSQL storage, and production-ready Docker deployment. Includes Scalar API documentation and bilingual technical docs

Features

• 6-character short-code generation with collision-safe logic
• Fast redirect engine mapped directly on root path
• In-memory storage for zero-latency prototyping
• Clean, Minimal-API architecture optimized for integration

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Technologies Used

• ASP.NET Core 9.0
• C# 12
• Minimal APIs
• In-memory concurrency storage (ConcurrentDictionary)
• Scalar – API exploration & contract visualization

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Testing / Tooling

• Scalar
• Postman / Insomnia

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Installation

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

The service runs on http://localhost:5000 or https://localhost:5001.

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API Endpoints

Generate Short URL

POST /generate

Body:

{
  "destinationUrl": "https://example.com"
}

Sample response:

{
  "Id": "e4f1c2b7-8a1f-4d9b-9f2e-1c3a5b6d7e8f",
  "DestinationUrl": "https://example.com",
  "ShortenCode": "abc123",
  "CreatedOn": "2025-11-27T21:30:00Z"
}

Redirect

GET /{shortCode}

Resolves and redirects to original URL. Returns 404 if not found.

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Usage Flow

1. Create a short link via /generate.
2. Retrieve the generated short code.
3. Hit /{shortCode} → automatic redirect.

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Notes / Future Roadmap

• Current storage is volatile (in-memory).
• Short codes are case-sensitive.
• Expansion runway:

The service is positioned for incremental hardening and enterprise alignment:

• Persistent data layer (SQL / MongoDB)
• Observability suite: metrics, counters, request throughput, redirect success rate
• Monitoring hooks (Prometheus-friendly endpoint)
• Full automated test harness: unit tests, integration tests
• Rate-limiting + API governance policies
• Multi-tenant link management
• Analytics dashboard for link performance

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