I Built My Own URL Shortener Because Bit.ly Charges for Custom Aliases

Short summary

A developer frustrated with Bit.ly's paywall built URLzap, a free, open-source URL shortener with custom aliases, QR codes, expiry dates, analytics, and JWT auth. The post covers the full production stack (Node.js, Express, MongoDB on Azure), critical lessons on database indexing and security, and includes working code examples. Live at urlzap.me with GitHub Actions CI/CD.

• •Built a free, open-source alternative to Bit.ly with custom memorable aliases, auto-generated QR codes, link expiry, and click analytics
• •Full production stack: Node.js, Express, MongoDB on Azure with GitHub Actions CI/CD deployment
• •Includes hands-on lessons on indexing performance, JWT authentication, input validation, and rate limiting with code examples

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