https://github.com/devashish2024/cutyoururl
Fully-featured bitly URL Shortener Clone
https://github.com/devashish2024/cutyoururl
bitly clone collaborate flask github github-copilot github-pages jetbrains python qrcode shortener sql sqlite3 student-vscode tech url urls urlshort
Last synced: 2 days ago
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Fully-featured bitly URL Shortener Clone
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/devashish2024/cutyoururl
- Owner: devashish2024
- License: mit
- Archived: true
- Created: 2024-03-16T19:28:26.000Z (over 1 year ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2024-04-24T19:28:59.000Z (over 1 year ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-10-09T18:19:47.587Z (2 days ago)
- Topics: bitly, clone, collaborate, flask, github, github-copilot, github-pages, jetbrains, python, qrcode, shortener, sql, sqlite3, student-vscode, tech, url, urls, urlshort
- Language: Jinja
- Homepage: https://cutyour-url.netlify.app/
- Size: 12.5 MB
- Stars: 2
- Watchers: 1
- Forks: 1
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Contributing: CONTRIBUTING
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
CutYourURL
🤖 Shorten your links for free with a powerful interface!
[](https://patreon.com/ashish_agarwal)
[Try out here! ⤴](https://cutyoururl.pythonanywhere.com)
## 📝 Table of Contents
- [About](#about)
- [Demo / Working](#demo)
- [How it works](#working)
- [Authors](#authors)
- [Acknowledgments](#acknowledgement)
I built this project to make a free URL shortener with a powerful interface. It is based on Python-Flask and SQLite3. It is a free and open-source project, and you can use it for free. It is hosted on PythonAnywhere, and you can try it out [here](https://cutyoururl.pythonanywhere.com).
It's not simple as writting a script. For this, I used some other libraries like to generate QR codes, flask-login for authentication and SQL. And it is also integrated with Gmail API, so it can verify emails.
> Consider helping me and not making a spambot for my site, I cannot invest a bit on it. Try to support me, if you can!
Demo will be available soon.
You enter a long URL and we'll save it and give you a short URL. You can get a free QR code for your URL too, views counting, and automatically delete the URL when it reaches a amount of clicks or a date (limited clicks or expiry date). You can also have custom slugs on your URLs!
## Running locally
### Prerequisites
Start a new virtual environment and install all requirements
```bash
$ python3 -m pip install -r requirements.txt
```
### Making .env
Then, you need to make a `.env` file in the project's root directory with the following content:
```env
LOGIN_DB=./cache/login.db
dir_name=s
DATABASE=./cache/shorts.db
log_file_path=./cache/logs/shorts.log
SCHEMA_FILE=./login.sql
captchaSiteKey=dont try me
spoofDomain=http://127.0.0.1:5000/
secretKey=somethingbruh
```
> - Login DB: path to login db file
> - Dir Name: route for generated shorts like /short/shortIDHERE, where short is the dir
> - Database: path to shorts db file
> - Log File Path: path to log file
> - Schema File: path to schema file for login db
> - Captcha Site Key: Google Captcha Site Key (v2 Site Key)
> - Spoof Domain: The domain to spoof, like to show the paths at this domain (for example, https://cutyoururl.tech/ would be the spoof domain for the path https://cutyoururl.tech/short/shortIDHERE)
> - The secret key: used for server and browser to talk. If it is leaked, consider changing it to prevent peoples from abusing it. A certificate that says a user valid.
You can get the captcha site key from [here](https://www.google.com/recaptcha/admin/create)
### Adding Gmail Services
You need to add a `credentials.json` file in the project's root directory. You can get it from [here](https://developers.google.com/gmail/api/quickstart/python). You can also use the `token.pickle` file to store the token, but it is not necessary.
> Do not leak your `token.pickle` file, it can allow someone to take over your account.
### Logging in
After you got your credentials, you can run the following command which will attempt to send a simple email. Gmail API will automatically ask you to login.
```bash
$ python3 test.py
Please visit this URL to authorize this application: https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/auth
# Authorize it
# If you get a error Invalid TO Header, then you are done
```
## Common Errors
### Cannot Access DB
This error will occur if Python cannot open the DB under `./cache/login.db`. If you deleted the cache folder, it is not a issue, you can re-make it.
> In the few next updates I'll be trying to automatically make the shorts and login db from schema, however errors comes everywhere.
To re-make the login.db, you have to do:
```bash
$ sqlite3 login.db < login.sql # the login.db would be made
$ sqlite3 shorts.db < schema.sql # the shorts.db would be made
# move both to cache folder
$ mv ./login.db ./cache/
$ mv ./shorts.db ./cache/
```
Make sure you have installed all dependencies too!
## How to host on web/cannot host
If you choose something like PythonAnywhere, first install all depends, then make cache db files, then:
1. Add a credentials.json (the credentials must have your testing email as a testing user or available to your test account)
2. Put the token.pickle file there: you cannot copy paste its binary, you can do all is: temporarily upload to a secure service, use curl to download and save it, then delete from online storage.
I have also faced several issues during hosting but still made it work.
- [@ashishagarwal2023](https://github.com/ashishagarwal2023) - Idea & Initial work
- [@N3RDIUM](https://github.com/N3RDIUM) - Leaving me at the half back-end of login 🤣
See also the list of [contributors](https://github.com/ashishagarwal2023/cutyoururl/contributors) who participated in this project.
- Hat tip to anyone whose code was used
- Inspiration
- References