snapURL! - URL Shortener Application

snapURL! is a lightweight and efficient application built with Node.js, Express, and MongoDB. It allows users to shorten long URLs for easy sharing while offering a user-friendly interface and seamless backend functionality.

🚀 Features

• URL Shortening: Quickly convert long URLs into concise, shareable links.
• Error Handling: Custom error pages for 404 and server issues.
• Email Notifications: Send emails to the admin.
• Load Testing: YAML-based configurations for stress testing.

🛠️ Tech Stack

Backend

• Node.js: Fast and scalable JavaScript runtime.
• Express.js: Flexible and minimalist web framework.
• MongoDB: NoSQL database for storing URLs and related metadata.

Frontend

• EJS: Embedded JavaScript templates for dynamic HTML generation.
• CSS: Custom styles for a polished and responsive UI.
• JavaScript: Enhances interactivity and validation on the client side.

📂 Project Structure

snap-url-shortener/
├── config/                   # Configuration files (DB, email, etc.)
│   ├── dbConfig.js           # MongoDB connection configuration
│   ├── emailConfig.js        # Email service configuration
├── controllers/              # Controllers for handling application logic
│   ├── indexController.js    # Main controller for app routes
├── models/                   # Database models
│   ├── urlModel.js           # MongoDB schema for URLs
├── public/                   # Static assets (CSS, JS, images)
│   ├── css/                  # CSS files for styling
│   ├── js/                   # JavaScript files for client-side functionality
│   ├── 404.css               # Styling for 404 error page
│   ├── loader.css            # Styling for loading animations
│   ├── mainStyle.css         # Main stylesheet for the application
│   ├── email.js              # Handles email interactions
│   ├── loader.js             # Handles loading animations
│   ├── result.js             # Handles result page logic
│   ├── urlForm.js            # Handles URL form validation
├── routes/                   # Application routes
│   ├── indexRoutes.js        # Routes for main application functionality
├── tests/                    # Load testing configurations
│   ├── load-tests/           # Folder for load testing
│   ├── load-test.yml         # YAML configuration for stress testing
├── utils/                    # Utility functions
│   ├── emailUtils.js         # Helper functions for email operations
│   ├── httpStatusCodes.js    # Standard HTTP status codes
│   ├── responseUtils.js      # Utility functions for API responses
│   ├── urlShortener.js       # Core URL shortening logic
├── views/                    # EJS templates for rendering views
│   ├── layout/               # Layout templates
│   ├── partials/             # Reusable components like header and footer
│   ├── 404.ejs               # 404 error page template
│   ├── about.ejs             # About page
│   ├── contact.ejs           # Contact page
│   ├── index.ejs             # Homepage for URL shortening
│   ├── internalError.ejs     # Internal server error page
│   ├── result.ejs            # Page displaying the shortened URL
├── .gitignore                # Ignored files and folders for Git
├── README.md                 # Project documentation
├── app.js                    # Main application entry point
├── package.json              # Node.js dependencies and metadata
├── package-lock.json         # Lock file for dependencies

🔧 Setup and Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16+ recommended)
• MongoDB (local instance or MongoDB Atlas)
• npm (Node Package Manager)

Steps

1. Clone the repository:

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

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Set up environment variables:
   Create a .env file in the root directory with the following contents:

   PORT=3000
   DB_USER=your_db_user
   DB_PASSWORD=your_db_password
   DB_HOST=your_db_host
   DB_PORT=27017
   DB_NAME=your_db_name
   SESSION_SECRET=your_session_secret
   SEND_EMAIL=your_email
   SEND_EMAIL_PASS=your_email_password
   

4. Set up MongoDB:

   • Ensure MongoDB is running on your system or accessible remotely.
   • Create a database with the name specified in the .env file.

5. Run the application:

   npm start

6. Open your browser and navigate to:

   http://localhost:3000
   

📜 Usage

1. Home Page

   • Enter a long URL to get a shortened version.
   • Copy or share the shortened URL directly.

2. Error Pages

   • Encounter custom error pages for 404 or internal server issues.

🧪 Load Testing

The tests/load-tests/load-test.yml file provides a configuration for performing stress tests on the application. Use tools like Artillery to execute these tests.

Run the load test:

artillery run tests/load-tests/load-test.yml

📈 Learning Outcomes

• Building a URL shortener with Node.js, MongoDB, and Express.
• Understanding dynamic EJS templates for rendering views.
• Managing database connections with MongoDB.
• Implementing robust email notifications and error handling.
• Learning load testing to ensure application scalability.

📜 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

🌟 Acknowledgements

• Thanks to the open-source community for libraries and tools used in this project.

Happy Shortening! 🎉