URL Shortener System (C++)

A scalable and extensible URL Shortener system implemented in C++ using Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) and STL.
The project focuses on clean system design, performance, and scalability.

Motivation

URL shortening is a common backend problem that involves hashing, fast lookups, collision handling, and expiry.
This project was built to practice system design fundamentals using C++.

System Design Overview

The system follows a layered architecture:

• Encoder Layer (Base62 encoding)
• Storage Layer (in-memory datastore)
• Service Layer (business logic)

Features

• Base62 encoding for compact URLs
• O(1) average-time lookup using hash maps
• Collision handling with fallback strategy
• Custom alias support
• TTL-based expiry for memory management

Technologies Used

• C++
• STL
• Object-Oriented Programming

How to Run

g++ main.cpp -o url_shortener
./url_shortener