The Problem
Most URL shorteners (Bitly, TinyURL) lack the analytics, customization, and branding features developers and SaaS businesses need. You want full control over your brand and detailed insights into your link performance.
The Solution
Build your own URL shortener using a modern tech stack that gives you:
- Full control over your brand
- Detailed analytics (clicks, referrers, geographic data)
- Custom domains
- QR code generation
- Team collaboration features
Tech Stack Explained
Frontend: Next.js 14 + React
Why? Fast, modern, and deployed with one click on Vercel. Perfect for building interactive dashboards and UI components.
Backend: Next.js API Routes
Serverless, scalable, and built right into your Next.js app. No need for separate backend infrastructure.
Database: PostgreSQL
Reliable, relational, and perfect for storing analytics data. Tracks every click, referrer, and geographic detail.
Payments: Stripe Integration
One-line integration for subscription management. Your users can upgrade to premium tiers easily.
Hosting: Vercel
Optimized for Next.js, unlimited serverless functions, and automatic deployments from GitHub. Learn more about Vercel.
Why This Matters
Companies like Zapier, Discord, and Slack use custom URL shorteners. You should too. A custom shortener:
- Maintains brand consistency across all your shared links
- Provides valuable analytics on user behavior
- Allows you to track marketing campaign performance
- Gives you ownership of your data
- Scales with your business
Building in Public
I'm sharing this entire journey on Twitter @BuildingSaaSly. Follow along as I build this from scratch and share what works.
Check out the GitHub repo: github.com/akd09051-ship-it/linkshort
Getting Started
If you're interested in building your own custom URL shortener, consider using:
- MongoDB for flexible data storage as an alternative to PostgreSQL
- Vercel for hosting and deployment
- Stripe for payment processing
Subscribe to this blog or follow my Twitter journey to see how this SaaS evolves. I'll share code snippets, lessons learned, and revenue updates along the way.
Building in public, one feature at a time. Join me on this journey!
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