Shrtn Database

Shrtn uses PostgreSQL for persistent short-link storage. The production database is hosted on Neon.

Links table

Column	PostgreSQL type	Purpose
`id`	`BIGSERIAL`	Internal primary key
`original_url`	`TEXT`	Original HTTP or HTTPS destination
`short_code`	`VARCHAR(7)`	Unique seven-character short code
`created_at`	`TIMESTAMPTZ`	Link creation timestamp
`click_count`	`BIGINT`	Number of successful redirects
`last_clicked_at`	`TIMESTAMPTZ`	Timestamp of the most recent redirect

The short_code column is unique and is used to resolve public redirect requests.

Migration files are stored in:

server/migrations

Current migrations:

Migration	Purpose
`001_create_links.sql`	Creates the initial `links` table
`002_add_click_analytics.sql`	Adds `click_count` and `last_clicked_at`

Run all migrations:

npm --prefix .\server run db:migrate

The migration runner processes numbered SQL files in filename order.

The backend requires a PostgreSQL connection string:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://USER:PASSWORD@HOST/DATABASE?sslmode=require

Store the local value in:

server/.env

Never commit the actual connection string.

Each successful redirect performs an atomic PostgreSQL update that:

The atomic update prevents concurrent redirects from overwriting one another.

Calling the analytics endpoint does not change either analytics field.

The Railway backend connects to Neon through DATABASE_URL.

Railway runs:

npm run db:migrate

before deploying the new application version.