ZLY | URL Shortening Service

ZLY (Zany Link Yanker) is an open-source, full-stack URL shortening application. Built with a focus on simplicity and efficiency, it leverages Python and MongoDB to provide a reliable service for transforming long-form URLs into concise, shareable identifiers.

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Technical Overview

The application utilizes a Flask-based backend and a NoNoSQL database architecture to ensure rapid data retrieval and reliable persistence.

• Backend: Python 3.x, Flask
• Database: MongoDB Atlas
• Infrastructure: Gunicorn (WSGI), Nginx (Reverse Proxy)
• Frontend: HTML5, CSS3

Features

• Unique Slug Generation: Automatically creates shortened identifiers for all submitted URLs.
• Persistent Data Management: Robust storage and retrieval via MongoDB integration.
• Environment Security: Configured to use .env files for sensitive database credentials and API keys.
• Cross-Platform Deployment: Optimized for PaaS (Render, Heroku) and self-hosted VPS environments.

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Installation & Setup

1. Database Configuration

1. Provision a MongoDB cluster via MongoDB Atlas.
2. Create a database user with readWrite permissions.
3. Configure Network Access (IP Whitelisting) for your deployment environment.
4. Retrieve your Connection String and define the MONGO_URI in your environment variables.

2. Local Development

Ensure you have Python 3.x and pip installed:

# Clone the repository
git clone [https://github.com/PythonPlumber/ZLY.git](https://github.com/PythonPlumber/ZLY.git)

# Install core dependencies
pip install Flask pymongo python-dotenv

# Execute the development server
python3 app.py

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Deployment Guide

Render (PaaS)

1. Connect your repository to the Render dashboard.
2. Select Web Service.
3. Configure the Start Command:

gunicorn app:app

4. Define your MONGO_URI under the Environment tab.

Heroku

1. Initialize the application via CLI:

heroku create [your-app-name]

2. Ensure a requirements.txt and Procfile exist in the root directory.
3. Deploy the source code:

git push heroku master

VPS (Self-Hosted)

For production environments (Ubuntu/Debian recommended):

1. System Dependencies: Install nginx, python3-pip, and mongodb.
2. Process Management: Use Gunicorn managed by systemd to ensure high availability.
3. Reverse Proxy: Configure Nginx to forward traffic to the Gunicorn application socket.
4. Security: Configure your firewall (UFW) to allow traffic on ports 80 (HTTP) and 443 (HTTPS).

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

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Maintained by PythonPlumber**

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