Create a Simple URL Shortener Tool Using Python
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How to Create a Simple URL Shortener Tool Using Python

How to Create a Simple URL Shortener Tool Using Python – In this tutorial, we will create a simple URL shortener tool using Python and Flask, a lightweight web framework.

Table of Contents

This tool will allow users to input a long URL and receive a shorter, more manageable URL in return.

A Step-by-step Tutorial to Create a URL Shortener Tool Using Python

We’ll cover everything from setting up your environment to writing and running the code. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have a functional URL shortener tool.

Prerequisites

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Before we begin, ensure you have:
  • Python installed on your system (Python 3.6+ is recommended).
  • Flask installed. You can install Flask using pip.

Step 1: Setting Up Your Environment

First, create a virtual environment and install Flask. Let’s go through the step-by-step guide:

Creating a Virtual Environment

Open your terminal and run the following commands:

# Create a virtual environment
python -m venv url_shortener_env

# Activate the virtual environment
# On Windows
url_shortener_env\Scripts\activate
# On macOS/Linux
source url_shortener_env/bin/activate

Installing Flask

Install Flask using pip:

pip install Flask

Step 2: Writing the Code

Now, let’s write the code to create our URL shortener tool.

Importing Required Libraries

Create a Python file, e.g., app.py, and add the following import statements:

from flask import Flask, request, redirect, url_for, render_template_string
import string
import random

Setting Up Flask App and Database

We’ll use a simple in-memory dictionary to store the URL mappings. For a more robust solution, you might use a database like SQLite or PostgreSQL.

app = Flask(__name__)
url_mapping = {}

Function to Generate Short URLs

We’ll create a function that generates a short URL key.

def zerobytecode_generate_short_url():
    characters = string.ascii_letters + string.digits
    short_url = ''.join(random.choice(characters) for _ in range(6))
    return short_url

Route to Handle URL Shortening

This route will take a long URL from the user and return a shortened version.

@app.route('/shorten', methods=['POST'])
def zerobytecode_shorten_url():
    original_url = request.form['url']
    short_url = zerobytecode_generate_short_url()
    url_mapping[short_url] = original_url
    return f'Shortened URL: {request.host_url}{short_url}'

Route to Redirect Short URLs

This route will redirect users from the short URL to the original long URL.

@app.route('/<short_url>')
def zerobytecode_redirect_url(short_url):
    original_url = url_mapping.get(short_url)
    if original_url:
        return redirect(original_url)
    else:
        return 'URL not found', 404

Main Function to Run the App

Finally, we’ll write the main function to run the Flask app.

if __name__ == "__main__":
    app.run(debug=True)

Step 3: Running the Tool

Save your app.py file and run it from the terminal:

python app.py

The Flask development server will start, and you can access the URL shortener tool by navigating to http://127.0.0.1:5000 in your web browser.

Step 4: Testing the Tool

To shorten a URL, you can use a simple HTML form. Here’s a basic HTML template for testing:

@app.route('/')
def home():
    return render_template_string('''
        <!DOCTYPE html>
        <html>
        <head>
            <title>URL Shortener</title>
        </head>
        <body>
            <h1>URL Shortener</h1>
            <form action="/shorten" method="post">
                <label for="url">Enter URL to shorten:</label>
                <input type="text" id="url" name="url">
                <input type="submit" value="Shorten">
            </form>
        </body>
        </html>
    ''')

Add this route to your app.py file and restart the server. You can now enter a URL in the form, and it will generate a shortened URL.

Wrapping Up: Creating Your First URL Shortener Tool Using Python

By following these steps, you can create a simple URL shortener tool using Python and Flask.

This tool can be further enhanced with additional features such as user authentication, analytics, and a database for storing URL mappings persistently.

Also read:

This setup serves as a solid foundation for more advanced development and customization.

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