github.com/Laxyny/shorty
main / published May 4, 2025 / repository
Shorty
A fast and lightweight URL shortener API built with Crystal and Kemal.
Useful. Original. Surprisingly powerful.
About
Shorty is a minimalist REST API to shorten links and retrieve click statistics.
It’s built with Crystal and Kemal, offering excellent performance and simplicity.
Features
- Shorten any URL with a unique code
- Redirect to the original URL via short code
- Track the number of hits for each short URL
- Built in Crystal — fast and elegant
Installation
1. Install Crystal (via WSL on Windows or native Linux/macOS):
https://crystal-lang.org/install
2. Clone the repo and install dependencies:
git clone https://github.com/laxyny/shorty.git
cd shorty
shards install
```
### 3. Run the API:
```bash
crystal run src/shorty.cr
API Endpoints
POST /shorten- Shorten a URLGET /:short_code- Redirect to the original URLGET /stats/:short_code- Returns the number of times the short URL has been accessed
Credits
Developed and maintained by Kevin Gregoire.
API
This version publishes no documented types.