Discord Short URL Generator Bot

A Discord bot that creates short URLs and stores them in MongoDB. Built with Discord.js, Express, and Mongoose.

Features

• Short URL Generation: Creates short URLs from long URLs using nanoid
• MongoDB Storage: Stores URLs with user data in MongoDB database
• Web Redirect Server: Express server handles redirects for short URLs
• Discord Integration: Easy-to-use Discord commands
• Environment Configuration: Secure token and database management

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16 or higher)
• MongoDB (local or MongoDB Atlas)
• A Discord bot token from the Discord Developer Portal

Installation

1. Clone or download this repository

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Set up environment variables:

   • Create a .env file in the project root
   • Add your Discord bot token:

     DISCORD_TOKEN=your_discord_bot_token_here
     

4. Set up MongoDB:

   • Install MongoDB locally or use MongoDB Atlas
   • Ensure MongoDB is running on mongodb://127.0.0.1:27017/discord-shorturl

5. Configure your Discord bot:

   • Go to the Discord Developer Portal
   • Create a new application or use an existing one
   • Go to the "Bot" section
   • Copy the bot token and paste it in your .env file
   • Enable the required intents:
     • Message Content Intent
     • Server Members Intent (if needed)

6. Invite the bot to your server:

   • In the Developer Portal, go to "OAuth2" → "URL Generator"
   • Select "bot" scope
   • Select the permissions you want to grant
   • Use the generated URL to invite the bot to your server

Usage

Start both servers (recommended):

npm run dev

This starts both the Discord bot and the redirect server simultaneously.

Start servers separately:

# Terminal 1 - Discord Bot
npm start

# Terminal 2 - Redirect Server
npm run server

Bot Commands

• Create short URL: create https://example.com
  • Bot responds with: Short URL is: http://localhost:8001/url/abc123
• General message: Bot responds with "Hey from Bot 🤖👋"

Accessing Short URLs

When someone visits http://localhost:8001/url/abc123, they will be redirected to the original URL.

Project Structure

discord-bot/
├── index.js          # Main Discord bot file
├── server.js         # Express redirect server
├── connect.js        # MongoDB connection utility
├── models/
│   └── url.js        # URL schema and model
├── package.json      # Dependencies and scripts
├── .env             # Environment variables (create this)
└── README.md        # This file

Dependencies

• discord.js - Discord API wrapper
• express - Web server for redirects
• mongoose - MongoDB ODM
• nanoid - Short ID generation
• dotenv - Environment variable management
• nodemon - Development server with auto-restart
• concurrently - Run multiple commands simultaneously

Database Schema

The bot creates a urls collection with documents containing:

{
  shortID: "abc123",
  redirectURL: "https://example.com",
  shortURL: "http://localhost:8001/url/abc123",
  createdAt: Date,
  updatedAt: Date
}

Development

• The bot uses nodemon for development
• Both servers restart automatically when files change
• MongoDB connection is handled in connect.js

Security Notes

• Never commit your .env file - it contains sensitive information
• Add .env to your .gitignore file
• Keep your bot token secure and private
• Consider using environment variables for MongoDB connection string in production

Troubleshooting

• "localhost refused to connect": Make sure the redirect server is running (npm run server)
• MongoDB connection issues: Ensure MongoDB is running and accessible
• Bot not responding: Check your Discord bot token and permissions

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues and enhancement requests!