Shortly - URL Shortener

A URL shortener app that shortens longer URLs to shareable concise links.

Overview

The challenge

Users should be able to:

• View the optimal layout for the site depending on their device's screen size.
• Shorten any valid URL.
• See a list of their shortened links, even after refreshing the browser.
• Copy the shortened link to their clipboard in a single click.
• Receive an error message when the form is submitted if:
  • The input field is empty.
  • The submitted URL has already been shortened.
  • The submitted URL is a previously generated shortened link.

My process

Built with

• Semantic JSX markup
• Flexbox
• CSS Grid
• Mobile-first workflow
• React - JS library
• Next.js - React framework
• TypeScript - JavaScript with syntax for types
• Tailwind CSS - CSS framework
• Shadcn UI - Open-source component library
• Radix UI - Accessible component primitives
• Spoo.me API - API for URL shortening
• pnpm - Fast, disk space efficient package manager

What I learned

This project enhanced my understanding of several key concepts, including:

• Ensuring type safety and improving code reliability through TypeScript.
• Leveraging Shadcn UI to create a reusable and maintainable component library.
• Utilizing the cn utility function to apply conditional classes efficiently in Tailwind CSS.
• Implementing SVG icons as React components to enable dynamic property modifications, such as hover states.
• Employing the localStorage object to persist shortened URLs as key-value pairs in the browser.

Continued development

In future projects, I intend to focus on the following areas for improvement:

• Establishing a centralized constants directory to streamline content management and enhance project organization.

Useful resources

• Tailwind CSS GitHub Repository - This resource provided inspiration on integrating SVG icons as React components, enhancing interactivity.
• cn() - Every Tailwind Coder Needs It (clsx + twMerge) - This video by Wesley on the ByteGrad YouTube channel offered practical guidance on the cn utility function, combining clsx and tailwind-merge for efficient class management.