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Design a URL Shortener like Bit.ly

The document outlines the design requirements for a URL shortener similar to Bit.ly, detailing both functional and non-functional requirements. It includes a high-level design with components like an API server, database, and cache, along with a proposed database schema and URL shortening algorithm. Additionally, it addresses scaling strategies, security considerations, and provides a final architecture diagram for the system.

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gopal sharma
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30 views2 pages

Design a URL Shortener like Bit.ly

The document outlines the design requirements for a URL shortener similar to Bit.ly, detailing both functional and non-functional requirements. It includes a high-level design with components like an API server, database, and cache, along with a proposed database schema and URL shortening algorithm. Additionally, it addresses scaling strategies, security considerations, and provides a final architecture diagram for the system.

Uploaded by

gopal sharma
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Design a URL Shortener like Bit.

ly
1. Design a URL Shortener like Bit.ly
1. Requirements
Functional Requirements
● Shorten a given URL (e.g., https://example.com/long-url → https://
short.ly/abc123).
● Redirect users to the original URL when they visit the short link.
● Track analytics like click count, geographic location, and timestamp.
● Allow users to create custom short links (optional).
● Handle expiration of short links (optional).
Non-Functional Requirements
● High availability and low latency.
● Scalability to handle millions of short links.
● Fault tolerance and data consistency.

2. High-Level Design
We need the following components:
. API Server – Handles requests to shorten URLs and redirect users.
. Database – Stores mappings between short and long URLs.
. Cache (Redis) – Speeds up redirection by caching URL mappings.
. Load Balancer – Distributes traffic across multiple servers.

3. Database Schema
A simple table can be used:
id short_url long_url created_ expiry_da click_cou
at te nt
1 abc123 https:// 2025-03- NULL 1024
4
example.c 27
3
om/long
2
2 xyz789 https:// 2025-03- 2025-06- 512
1
another- 27 01
site.com
• short_url is the unique key.
● long_url is the original URL.
● expiry_date helps remove old links.
● click_count is used for analytics.

4. URL Shortening Algorithm


● Generate a unique ID (e.g., hash function like Base62 encoding).
● Ensure uniqueness using the database.
● Store the mapping in the database.
● Return the short URL to the user.
Example:
function generateShortURL($longURL) {
$hash = base62Encode(crc32($longURL . time()));
storeInDatabase($hash, $longURL);
return "https://short.ly/" . $hash;
}

5. Handling Redirections
● When a user visits https://short.ly/abc123:
○ Look up abc123 in the cache (Redis).
○ If found, redirect to the long URL.
○ If not found, query the database, cache the result, and redirect.

6. Scaling the System


● Database Sharding: Distribute data across multiple databases.
● Load Balancer: Route requests to multiple servers.
● CDN (Cloudflare, AWS CloudFront): Cache popular URLs close to
users.
● Asynchronous Analytics: Track click counts separately using Kafka
or RabbitMQ.

7. Security Considerations
● Prevent abuse: Limit requests per user/IP.
● Blacklist malicious sites: Check against a database of harmful
domains.
● HTTPS enforcement: Avoid insecure redirections.

Final Architecture Diagram


User → Load Balancer → API Servers → (Redis Cache + Database)
→ Analytics Service (Optional)
Would you like more details on any part, or should I move to the next question?

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