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shrtnr hero shrtnr is a minimal link shortener that makes sharing URLs simple and beautiful. Paste any long URL and get an instant short link. Create an account to unlock custom slugs, click tracking, and a dashboard to manage all your links.

Quickstart Guide

Get started in 2 minutes - from signup to your first short link

Custom Slugs

Create branded short links with memorable custom URLs

Analytics & Tracking

Monitor click counts and understand link performance

Dashboard

Manage, edit, and organize all your short links in one place

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Why shrtnr?

Long URLs are hard to share, break in messages, and look unprofessional. shrtnr solves this with:
  • Instant short links - Generate an 8-character short code automatically with nanoid
  • Custom slugs - Choose your own memorable URLs (1-20 characters: letters, numbers, _ and -)
  • Click tracking - Every click is recorded with IP, user agent, and referrer data
  • Link expiration - Set expiry dates from 1-30 days (default: 7 days)
  • Redis caching - Lightning-fast redirects powered by Upstash Redis
  • Dashboard - View, edit, and delete all your links from one interface
No account required to create links! Sign up only when you want custom slugs, analytics, or a dashboard.

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How it works

1

Paste your URL

Drop any long URL into the input field on the home page. No validation until you submit.
2

Get a short link

Click “Shorten” and we generate an 8-character code using nanoid. If you’re signed in, you can use a custom slug instead.
3

Share anywhere

Your short link is automatically copied to your clipboard. Share it in messages, social media, or print materials.
4

Track performance

When someone clicks your link, we redirect them instantly (HTTP 307) and record the click. View stats in your dashboard.

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Key features

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Automatic code generation

Every link gets a unique 8-character short code generated by the nanoid library: 
import { nanoid } from 'nanoid';

const SHORT_CODE_LENGTH = 8;
const shortCode = nanoid(SHORT_CODE_LENGTH);
// Example: 'V1StGXR8'
Authenticated users can choose their own slugs following a simple pattern: 
const SLUG_REGEX = /^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]{1,20}$/;

// Valid slugs:
// - "my-link" ✓
// - "2024_campaign" ✓
// - "product-launch" ✓
// 
// Invalid slugs:
// - "my link" ✗ (spaces not allowed)
// - "a" repeated 21 times ✗ (max 20 chars)
All links expire within 1-30 days (default: 7). The expiration is enforced both in the database and Redis: 
const DEFAULT_EXPIRY_DAYS = 7;
const MAX_EXPIRY_DAYS = 30;

const expiresAt = new Date(Date.now() + days * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000);
const ttlSeconds = Math.floor((expiresAt.getTime() - Date.now()) / 1000);

// Set in Redis with expiration
await redis.set(`short:${shortCode}`, originalUrl, { ex: ttlSeconds });

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Redis-powered redirects

Every redirect checks Redis first for sub-millisecond response times: 
// Check Redis cache first
const cached = await redis.get<string>(`short:${shortCode}`);
if (cached) return cached;

// Fall back to database if cache miss
const result = await db`
  SELECT original_url FROM urls
  WHERE short_code = ${shortCode}
    AND (expires_at IS NULL OR expires_at > NOW())
  LIMIT 1
`;
Links that have expired return a 404 error and will not redirect.

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Click tracking

Every click increments a counter and logs detailed analytics: 
// Increment click count
await db`UPDATE urls SET clicks = clicks + 1 WHERE short_code = ${shortCode}`;

// Log click event with metadata
await db`
  INSERT INTO clicks (short_code, ip_address, user_agent, referrer)
  VALUES (${shortCode}, ${ip}, ${userAgent}, ${referrer})
`;

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Technology stack

shrtnr is built with modern web technologies:
  • Next.js 16 - React framework with App Router
  • Neon Database - Serverless Postgres for link storage
  • Upstash Redis - Edge caching for instant redirects
  • NextAuth.js 5 - Authentication with credentials provider
  • Tailwind CSS - Utility-first styling
  • TypeScript - Type-safe development

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API endpoints

POST /api/shorten

Create a new short link with optional custom slug and expiration

GET /api/links

List all links for the authenticated user

PATCH /api/links/[id]

Update a link’s slug or expiration date

DELETE /api/links/[id]

Delete a short link and clear its cache

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What’s next?

Create your first link

Follow the quickstart to create an account and shorten your first URL

Learn about features

Explore custom slugs, analytics, and dashboard features

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