Objectives of Url Shortner

- Redis
- Redux/redux toolkit
- Docker compose yml
- docker
- containerasation
- Prisma(containerd Postgress)

UI
- Basic, GPT inspired

Building a URL Shortener with Next.js and maximizing its capabilities involves adding various
features that enhance functionality, scalability, performance, and user experience. Below are key
features and the tools/technologies you'll need to implement them:

Core Features
1. Basic URL Shortening:
• Allow users to input long URLs and return a shortened URL.
• Store the shortened URL in a database.
Tools Required:
• Database: MongoDB (using Mongoose), or SQL database (PostgreSQL/MySQL)
for storing the long and shortened URLs.
2. Custom Shortened URLs:
• Allow users to create custom aliases for their URLs (e.g.,
example.com/custom-alias).

Tools Required:
• Form Validation: Zod or Yup for validation in forms.
3. Redirection:
• Redirect users to the original URL when they visit the shortened URL.
Tools Required:
• Next.js API Routes to handle the redirection.

Advanced Features
4. User Authentication & URL Management:
• Allow users to sign up and log in to manage their shortened URLs (edit, delete, view
analytics).
Tools Required:
• NextAuth.js for authentication.
• JWT (JSON Web Tokens) for secure token-based authentication.
• OAuth Integration: Enable users to log in using Google, GitHub, etc.
5. URL Expiration:
 • Allow users to set expiration dates for their shortened URLs, after which the URLs
will no longer be valid.
Tools Required:
• Cron Jobs: Use Node.js's node-cron or Agenda.js for scheduling URL
expiration.
6. URL Analytics:
• Track clicks on shortened URLs, including geolocation, browser, OS, timestamp, etc.
• Display the analytics in a dashboard.
Tools Required:
• Tracking: Use tools like Google Analytics, or implement custom tracking using a
service like IPinfo.io for geolocation data.
• Visualization: Use chart libraries like Chart.js or Recharts for displaying analytics.
7. QR Code Generation:
• Provide a QR code for each shortened URL to make it easier for users to share.
Tools Required:
• QRCode.react: A React library to generate QR codes easily.
8. Link Preview & Metadata Extraction:
• Display link previews, including title, description, and image for the shortened
URLs.
Tools Required:
• OpenGraph Scraper: You can use a package like open-graph-scraper to
fetch metadata from URLs.
9. Rate Limiting & Throttling:
• Prevent abuse by limiting the number of requests or URL shortening operations a
user can perform within a certain timeframe.
Tools Required:
• Rate Limiting Middleware: Use express-rate-limit or implement in API
routes directly.
10.Branded Domain Support:
• Allow users to use custom/branded domains for their shortened URLs (e.g.,
short.example.com instead of example.com).

Tools Required:
• DNS Management: Use services like Cloudflare for managing custom domain DNS
records.
• CNAME Setup: Ensure users can link their domain to the URL shortener service.
11.Security Features:
• Implement features to protect against malicious URLs or spamming.
 • Add CAPTCHA to prevent bots from abusing the service.
Tools Required:
• CAPTCHA: Use reCAPTCHA or hCaptcha to prevent bots.
• URL Validation: Use tools like VirusTotal API to check if URLs are safe.
12.Custom Shortening Rules:
• Allow certain users to define rules for their URLs (e.g., redirect based on country,
time, or device type).
Tools Required:
• Next.js Middleware or custom server logic to handle conditional redirects.
13.Password-Protected Links:
• Allow users to add a password to protect access to their shortened links.
Tools Required:
• Bcrypt or Argon2 to hash and store passwords.
• Client-side Authentication: Ensure users can access the URL only after providing
the correct password.
14.Batch URL Shortening:
• Allow users to shorten multiple URLs at once (bulk shortening).
Tools Required:
• File Upload Handling: Use libraries like multer for file uploads (CSV, JSON) or
handle in the front-end with file inputs.
15.Mobile-Optimized UI:
• Ensure the front-end UI is fully responsive for mobile devices.
Tools Required:
• CSS Framework: TailwindCSS or styled-components for building a responsive and
mobile-friendly interface.
16.Serverless & Edge Deployment:
• Deploy the application on a serverless architecture for better scalability and low-
latency redirection.
Tools Required:
• Vercel/Netlify: Host the Next.js app on Vercel or Netlify to leverage their serverless
functions for API routes and redirections.
• Cloudflare Workers or AWS Lambda: For ultra-low-latency redirection, especially
for high traffic.

Tools & Technology Stack Summary:

• Frontend:
• React (as part of Next.js)
 • TailwindCSS or CSS-in-JS (for responsive UI)
• Backend/API:
• Next.js API Routes for building the backend.
• MongoDB with Mongoose (or any SQL DB like PostgreSQL/MySQL).
• NextAuth.js for user authentication (OAuth providers like Google, GitHub).
• Node.js Cron or Agenda.js for URL expiration and scheduling tasks.
• Chart.js or Recharts for analytics visualization.
• OpenGraph Scraper for metadata extraction.
• bcrypt for password-protected links.
• Rate Limiting Middleware to prevent abuse.
• Deployment:
• Vercel or Netlify for hosting.
• MongoDB Atlas or SQL DB hosted in AWS RDS.
• Cloudflare for DNS management and potential CDN/caching.
• Security:
• reCAPTCHA or hCaptcha for bot protection.
• VirusTotal API to check URL safety.
By implementing these features, your URL shortener would be highly functional, secure, and
scalable. You can prioritize features based on your target audience, but these cover most common
(and some advanced) use cases.