How to Install ShortURL on Arch Linux

ShortURL is a small and lightweight URL shortener written in Go that you can install on your own server. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of installing ShortURL on Arch Linux.

Prerequisites

Before starting this tutorial, make sure you have the following:

  • A server running Arch Linux.
  • A user with sudo privileges.

Step 1 - Install Dependencies

Before you can install ShortURL, you need to install the following dependencies:

sudo pacman -S git go sqlite
  • Git: to clone the ShortURL repository.
  • Go: to compile the ShortURL code.
  • SQLite: to create the database used by ShortURL.

Step 2 - Clone the Repository

Next, clone the ShortURL repository using the git command:

git clone https://git.mills.io/prologic/shorturl.git

This will create a directory named "shorturl" in your current working directory.

Step 3 - Build ShortURL

To build ShortURL, navigate to the cloned repository directory and build the code:

cd shorturl
make

This will compile the code and create a binary file named "shorturl" in the "bin" directory of the repository.

Step 4 - Configure ShortURL

Copy the sample configuration file to create your own configuration file:

cp etc/shorturl.example.ini etc/shorturl.ini

Edit this configuration file with your own settings. Some important settings to configure are:

  • listen_address: the IP address and port number where ShortURL will listen for connections.
  • base_url: the base URL of your ShortURL service.
  • database_url: the location of the SQLite database file.
  • site_title: the title of your ShortURL website.

Step 5 - Create the SQLite Database

Create the SQLite database file specified in the database_url setting:

sqlite3 /var/lib/shorturl/shorturl.sq3 < schema/sqlite.sql

Note that you need to create the parent directory of the database file if it doesn't exist. In this example, we are using /var/lib/shorturl as the parent directory.

Step 6 - Start the ShortURL Service

Start the ShortURL service with the following command:

./bin/shorturl -c etc/shorturl.ini

This will start the ShortURL service and listen for connections at the address specified in the listen_address setting.

Step 7 - Test ShortURL

You can now test your ShortURL installation by visiting the base URL of your ShortURL service in your web browser. If everything is configured correctly, you should see a page similar to the following:

ShortURL
=========
Enter a URL to shorten:

You can enter a long URL in the text box and click the "Shorten" button to generate a short URL.

Conclusion

You have successfully installed ShortURL on Arch Linux. You can now use it to shorten URLs on your own server.