urlshortener.github.io.

🚀 URL Shortener with Django

🎯 Project Overview

Welcome to the URL Shortener project built with Django! This project allows users to shorten long URLs into compact, easy-to-share links, similar to popular services like bit.ly. The project includes:

• URL shortening functionality with a randomly generated short code.
• Redirection to the original URL when a short link is visited.
• YouTube video downloader for added fun!

🌟 Key Features

• Shorten Long URLs: Generate short, easy-to-share URLs with a custom short code.
• Custom Redirects: Visit the shortened URL to get redirected to the original.
• YouTube Downloader: Download YouTube videos in various resolutions (optional feature).
• Simple API: Easily integrate the shortener into other apps via the REST API.

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📸 Screenshots

Home Page

About Us Page

YouTube Downloader

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🛠️ Installation & Setup

Follow these steps to set up the project locally:

1. Clone the Repository

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

2. Set Up a Virtual Environment

# Create a virtual environment (optional but recommended)
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows, use: venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install Required Dependencies

# Install dependencies from requirements.txt
pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Migrate the Database

# Run database migrations
python manage.py migrate

5. Run the Development Server

# Start the Django development server
python manage.py runserver

Now, open your browser and visit http://127.0.0.1:8000. Your URL Shortener should be up and running!

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🔥 Usage

1. Home Page

• This is the landing page where you can shorten URLs. Just enter a long URL, and a shortened link will be generated.

2. Shorten URL Page

• Once you enter a URL, the application will generate a short link. Example: http://127.0.0.1:8000/abc123/
• Share the short link, and anyone visiting it will be redirected to the original URL.

3. YouTube Video Downloader

• Go to the YouTube section, enter the video link, select the desired resolution, and download your video locally!

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🧩 API Documentation

Our project also provides an API for programmatically shortening URLs. You can integrate it into other apps.

Endpoint: /api/shorten/

• Method: POST

• Request Body:

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

• Response:

  {
    "short_url": "http://127.0.0.1:8000/abc123/"
  }
  

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🛡️ Running Tests

To ensure everything is functioning as expected, run the following command:

python manage.py test

You can add unit tests to test various components of your project.

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💻 Technologies Used

• Python: 3.12.4
• Django: 4.1.13
• Pytube: For YouTube video downloading
• Bootstrap 5: For the modern and responsive frontend

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👨‍💻 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please follow the steps below to contribute:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/my-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/my-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

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📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

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🙌 Acknowledgments

• Thanks to the Django community for the fantastic documentation and tutorials.
• Shout-out to Umer Jamshaid and Yahya Rizwan for building this awesome project!
• Special Thanks to Sir Muzamil Bilwani for his guidance and support 🫡

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🏗️ Future Improvements

• Custom Short Codes: Allow users to specify custom short codes for their URLs.
• User Authentication: Add login/signup features to allow personalized URL management.
• Analytics: Add basic analytics to track how often a URL is clicked.
• UI Enhancements: Further improve the UI to enhance the user experience.

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