c1k.it, pronounced as "click it", was started back in 2011 as a URL shortening service.
... This is it's source code.
A URL shortening service is a tool that converts a long URL into a shorter, more manageable version. This shortened URL redirects users to the original, longer URL. URL shortening is often used to make links easier to share, especially on platforms with character limits, like Twitter. Additionally, shortened URLs can be useful for tracking clicks and gathering analytics.
Key features of URL shortening services include:
- Shortened URLs - Converts long URLs into shorter versions.
- Redirection - When the shortened URL is clicked, users are redirected to the original URL.
- Customizable Links - Some services allow users to customize the shortened URL to make it more recognizable or relevant.
- Analytics - Many services provide data on the number of clicks, geographic location of clicks, and other usage statistics.
- Expiration - Some services offer the option to set expiration dates for links, making them inactive after a certain period.
- Security - URL shortening services may include features to protect users from malicious links, such as previewing the destination URL before clicking.
Popular URL shortening services include the grandfather of shorteners tinyurl.com, the father bit.ly or the plethora of descendants, like goo.gl (now-defunct), ow.ly, is.gd and others.
In 2011 this was useful as a toolchain from my online marketing clients. But over a decade later it's less so.
Besides - one of the ancillary reason for this project was to enable people to self-host their own URL shortening services - but even that is now better maintained in other projects than this was, like yourls.org - that was started as far back as 2009 (before I started this, but after I found out it existed - ironically, in a classic case of multiple discovery).
The main reason was however a set-and-forget redirector that was easy to install and maintain ... and thus do simple, self-serving redirection, like Harvard Business Review does with s.hbr.org, or The Economist does with econ.st. With a self configured URL shortener you can change the Long URL, so over time your short can point to different content, like an updated price list, without having to change your short bit and republishing.
Version 1 ... actually, I never moved beyond version 0.5.2 ... was a fully UI-ed interface. Most of the work I did on this was UI backend stuff - user management, complexity of showing long lists, navigating around data, configuration management, etc. The actual redirection is, like, 2 lines of code (or can be).
I realised that this could just be a single file solution*. So I re-wrote it from scratch to be so. So, Version 2, is one file, install it on your service, create a sorts "database" - a JSON file - and... it works. Done.
To edit, add, remove stuff; just edit the JSON file. If you need to do this daily... then this is not the tool for you.
If you're looking for an (REST) API to automate short generation ... also not the tool for you.
- Releases - See the CHANGELOG.md file.
- Docs - (i.e. How to install and run.) See the docs folder.
- To Do - See the TODO.md file.
Co-maintainers are most welcome (actually needed). Please reach me via a PR to the core repo.
I hope you enjoy learning, or even using, this source.
Made with ♥ by Vino Rodrigues