URLlite

Summary

URLlite is a lightweight and cost-effective URL shortening application designed for performance and simplicity. Built using Golang with the Gin framework, Cassandra for high-speed data operations, Redis for caching, and Asynq for background task processing, it offers a robust backend architecture. The frontend is developed in React, delivering a smooth user experience. Key features include generating short aliases for long URLs, tracking link engagement, and capturing geographic details (city and country) of visitors. Impressively, the entire system is self-hosted using a Docker container on a local machine, with public access enabled through Cloudflare Tunnel—eliminating the need for paid servers. The only cost incurred was ₹500 for the domain, making it a highly efficient and budget-friendly project. Through building URLlite, the developer gained valuable experience in async processing, performance tuning, and innovative self-hosting techniques.

Feature List

• URL Shortening - Create short aliases for long URLs quickly and easily.
• Custom Aliases - Option to generate custom short codes for better readability or branding.
• Engagement Tracking - Monitor how many times a short URL has been visited.
• Geolocation insights - View the city and country of each visitor based on their IP address.