Mohamed-Mkadem / url-shortening-app

ClipZip - URL Shortening App

ClipZip is a URL shortening application built using native PHP. It aims to provide common features found in popular URL shortening services like Bitly or TinyURL while being developed without relying on external frameworks like Laravel. It uses PHP, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and MySQL to achieve its functionality.

Purpose

The primary purpose of ClipZip is to demonstrate the development of a URL shortening application from scratch using native PHP. It's a learning project that focuses on building fundamental features and gaining a deep understanding of web development technologies.

Technologies

• PHP: The core programming language used for server-side logic.
• HTML: For creating the web interface and structure.
• CSS: For styling the user interface.
• JavaScript: For client-side functionality and interactivity.
• MySQL: To store and manage shortened URLs in a database.

Features

ClipZip currently offers the following features:

• Shorten Long URLs: Users can enter a long URL, and the application will generate a short, unique link.
• Redirect to Original URL: When users visit the shortened URL, they are redirected to the original, long URL.
• Simple Custom Router: The app includes a basic custom router for handling different routes.

Coming Features

The development of ClipZip is an ongoing project, and future features and improvements may include:

• Custom Aliases: Allow users to customize the short URL aliases for easier sharing.
• Object-Oriented Programming (OOP): Refactor the codebase to use OOP principles in both PHP and JavaScript.
• Modern JS Framework: Rebuild the frontend using modern JavaScript for enhanced user experience.
• Additional Pages: Create other pages such as a dashboard, analytics, and user management.

Getting Started

To run ClipZip locally or deploy it on your server, follow these steps:

1. Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/Mohamed-Mkadem/url-shortening-app.git
2. Set up a web server with PHP and MySQL support.
3. Import the provided SQL schema to create the necessary database tables.
4. Configure the database connection in the PHP code.
5. Start the web server and access the application in your browser.

License

ClipZip is open-source software released under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.