URL SHORTENER (PHP)

1. Project Overview

A simple PHP-based application to create short URLs from long URLs. I used XAMPP for initial setup. This project includes Docker support for easy development and deployment, with an optional Visual Studio Code devcontainer setup.

2. Technical Stack

• PHP
• MySQL/ PostgreSQL
• Docker

Prerequisite

1. Docker and Docker Compose:

• Install Docker Desktop from Docker official website.
• Ensure WSL 2 is installed and Docker integration is enabled for your distribution.

2. Visual Studio Code (Optional):

• Install Visual Studio Code.
• Install the Dev Containers extension for VS Code.

3. XAMPP (Optional):

If running locally (not using Docker), install XAMPP.

Project Setup

1. Clone The Repository

git clone https://github.com/your-username/url-shortener.git
cd url-shortener

2. Run Locally with Docker

This project includes a docker-compose.yml file to set up the application.

• Start the Docker containers

docker-compose up --build

• Access the app

Visit: http://localhost:8080 in your browser.

• Stop the Docker containers

docker-compose down

3. Run Locally with XAMPP

If you prefer using XAMPP:

• Copy the project folder into the htdocs directory (e.g., C:\xampp\htdocs\url-shortener).
• Import the url_shortener.sql file in the database folder into your MySQL database.
• Configure the shorten.php file with your database credentials:

$host = "localhost";
$username = "root";
$password = "";
$database = "url_shortener";

• Start Apache and MySQL services in XAMPP.
• Access the app at http://localhost/url-shortener.

Using the App

1. Enter a long URL in the input field and submit the form.
2. The app will generate a short URL.
3. Use the short URL to redirect to the original URL.

Dev Container Setup

This project includes a .devcontainer/devcontainer.json file for developing in a consistent, containerized environment in Visual Studio Code.

1. Setup the Devcontainer

• Install the Dev Containers extension in Visual Studio Code.

• Open the project folder in VS Code

• When prompted, reopen the projet in the container:

  • If not prompted, press Ctrl+Shift+P, type Dev Containers: Reopen in Container, and select it.

  Devcontainer Features

  • Runs the application in a Dockerized environment.
  • Pre-configures MySQL, PHP, and Apache.
  • Provides a consistent development environment across all systems.

  Devcontainer Configguration

  The devcontainer.json file contains the following setup:

  {
  "name": "URL Shortener Dev Environment",
  "dockerComposeFile": ["../docker-compose.yml"],
  "service": "php",
  "workspaceFolder": "/workspace",
  "settings": {
    "terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.linux": "bash"
  },
  "extensions": [
    "ms-azuretools.vscode-docker",
    "esbenp.prettier-vscode",
    "bmewburn.vscode-intelephense-client"
  ]
}

Install Additional Dependncies

Inside the devcontainer folder terminal:

composer install
npm install

Database Setup

1. Using Docker

The docker-compose.yml file sets up a MySQL container with the following details: Host: mysql Port: 3306 Database: url_shortener Username: root Password: password

2. Manually Import Database

• Import the url_shortener.sql file into MySQL.
• Ensure the urls table exists with the following schema:

CREATE TABLE urls (
  id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
  long_url TEXT NOT NULL,
  short_code VARCHAR(6) NOT NULL UNIQUE,
  created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);

3. Application Features

• Shortens long URLs into short, shareable URLs.
• Stores URLs in a MySQL database with timestamps.
• Built-in URL validation.
• Simple, clean PHP and MySQL implementation.
• Dockerized environment for consistent development.

4. 🚀Getting Started

Using Daytona

• Install Daytona: Follow the Daytona Installation Guide.
• Create the Workspace: daytona create https://github.com/daytonaio/sample-php-url-shortener

5. Deployment

The easiest way to deploy your PHP app is via Heroku with an inbuilt database tool. Learn more in the deployment documentation.

Additional Resources

• MySQL
• PHP
• XAMPP
• Docker
• Daytona Integration Guide
• PstgreSQL