🔗URL & UTM

URL Shortener Implementation

Build custom URL shortener with redirect tracking and analytics

Explanation

Create short URLs (like bit.ly) with redirect tracking for marketing campaigns and analytics.

Examples

Short URL format

Input

https://example.com/r/a1B2c3

Output

Redirects to long URL with tracking

Custom domain

Input

https://go.company.com/summer-sale

Output

Branded short URL

Code Examples

JavaScript/Node.js

// Generate short code
function generateShortCode(length = 6) {
  const chars = 'abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789';
  let code = '';
  for (let i = 0; i < length; i++) {
    code += chars.charAt(Math.floor(Math.random() * chars.length));
  }
  return code;
}

// Create short URL (database schema)
async function createShortURL(originalUrl, customCode = null) {
  const code = customCode || generateShortCode();
  
  // Store in database
  await db.shortUrls.create({
    code,
    originalUrl,
    createdAt: new Date(),
    clicks: 0
  });
  
  return `https://yourdomain.com/${code}`;
}

// Handle redirect and track
async function handleRedirect(req, res) {
  const { code } = req.params;
  
  // Get URL from database
  const shortUrl = await db.shortUrls.findOne({ code });
  
  if (!shortUrl) {
    return res.status(404).send('Short URL not found');
  }
  
  // Track click
  await db.shortUrls.update(
    { code },
    { 
      $inc: { clicks: 1 },
      $push: { 
        clickEvents: {
          timestamp: new Date(),
          ip: req.ip,
          userAgent: req.headers['user-agent'],
          referer: req.headers['referer']
        }
      }
    }
  );
  
  // Redirect
  res.redirect(301, shortUrl.originalUrl);
}

Try it Now

Open in URL Parser

💡 Tips

Use 301 redirect for permanent, 302 for temporary
Track clicks, referrers, user agents for analytics
Consider custom slugs for branded links
Implement rate limiting to prevent abuse
Set expiration dates for campaign links
Use CDN for fast global redirects

⚠️ Common Pitfalls

Short codes can collide - check uniqueness
Redirects can be abused for phishing
Need proper URL validation
GDPR compliance for tracking data
Broken long URLs create dead short links