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Huy Tran
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Backend Service

URL Shortener API

A backend-focused URL shortening service with clean REST endpoints, redirect handling, analytics, rate limiting, and cache-aware design.

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Overview

Built to show the decisions behind the interface.

The URL shortener is intentionally backend-heavy. It uses a small product surface to explore API shape, redirect performance, data modeling, analytics, and the operational concerns behind public endpoints.

Problem

The engineering problem

A URL shortener looks simple until it needs to be fast, measurable, abuse-resistant, and easy to operate. The core challenge is balancing a tiny user-facing action with robust backend behavior.

Approach

Technical approach

  • Design REST endpoints around predictable creation, lookup, redirect, and analytics flows.
  • Use caching where it improves redirect latency without hiding persistence as the source of truth.
  • Treat rate limiting and basic abuse protection as core service behavior rather than optional polish.

Architecture

System shape

  • ASP.NET Core handles API requests, redirect logic, validation, and service boundaries.
  • PostgreSQL stores link records, ownership metadata, and analytics-ready events.
  • Redis can support hot-path lookups and rate-limit counters where low latency matters most.

Delivery

Delivery notes

  • Docker keeps the API, database, and cache setup reproducible.
  • Service boundaries are kept narrow so behavior can be tested and reasoned about independently.
  • The implementation is shaped for extension into public dashboards, API keys, or tenant-aware usage.

Outcome

What this demonstrates

  • A focused backend service demonstrating performance and operational tradeoffs.
  • A reusable reference for public API endpoints, redirect behavior, and event-style analytics.
  • A compact project that communicates backend depth without needing a large UI.

Next

Next steps

  • Add API key support and per-user quotas.
  • Create an analytics dashboard for click trends, referrers, and geographic summaries.
  • Add expiration policies, custom aliases, and bulk link management.