URL Shortener
URL Shortener
URL Shortener turns long web addresses into compact, shareable links with custom slugs. You can create a link immediately as a guest, or sign in with Google to save and manage links under your account.
A short link is a compact version of a long web address. It saves space, looks cleaner when shared, and is easier to remember. A custom slug also gives the link a meaningful ending, such as url-to.vercel.app/my-portfolio, instead of an arbitrary sequence of characters.
Key Features
- Custom short links — pair a long destination URL with a memorable slug that you choose.
- Guest access — create a working short link without registering or signing in.
- Instant redirects — send anyone who opens the short link directly to its original destination.
- Google sign-in — authenticate securely through Google OAuth with Auth.js.
- Account-based storage — automatically save links created while signed in and view them together in Your shortened URLs.
- Link editing — change the slug of a saved link and add an optional description of up to 10 words.
- Link details — see when a saved link was created and when it was last edited.
- Link deletion — remove an account-owned link after confirming the action.
- JSON export — download all links saved to your account as JSON or copy the JSON directly to the clipboard.
- Editable profile name — use the username initially derived from your Gmail address, or replace it with the name you want displayed in the app header.
- Persistent redirects — short-link mappings are stored in MongoDB so created links continue to resolve.
Create a Short Link
Enter the complete destination URL, including
https://:https://example.com/your/very/long/url/Choose the custom slug that will appear after the app’s domain:
https://url-to.vercel.app/your-slugSelect Click to Compact. The generated short link is ready to share and redirects visitors to the destination URL.
Guest and Account Modes
You can use the core shortening feature as a guest. Guest-created links continue to redirect normally, but they are not associated with an account and therefore do not appear in the saved-link manager.
To keep and manage new links, sign in with Google before creating them. Every link you create while signed in is added to Your shortened URLs.
Manage Saved Links
From Your shortened URLs, select a saved item to:
- change its slug;
- add or revise an optional description of up to 10 words;
- review its creation and last-edited dates; or
- delete it after a confirmation prompt.
To back up or reuse your link data, download all account-specific saved URLs as a JSON file or copy the JSON to your clipboard.
Under Your account, select Edit username to change the name displayed in the app header. The initial username is derived from the Gmail address connected to your Google login.
Technology
| Area | Technology |
|---|---|
| Framework | Next.js 16 with the App Router |
| UI | React 19 + styled-components |
| Authentication | Auth.js with Google OAuth |
| Account persistence | Auth.js MongoDB adapter |
| Database | MongoDB |
| Typography | Quantico through next/font |