I Built a Real-Time Link Shortener With Analytics Using React, Go, and PostgreSQL

Source: Dev.to

Cut It Short. Track It Deep.

Many link shorteners reduce long URLs, but few show what happens after someone clicks the link. I built Cut It to solve this problem.

Live site:

Cut It shortens links and tracks interaction data in real time. The platform shows who clicked, where the click came from, which device opened the link, which browser handled the request, and which platform distributed the link.

What Cut It Does

• Shortens long URLs into clean links
• Tracks click count in real time
• Detects visitor country
• Detects device type
• Detects browser used
• Detects platform where the link was shared

Example

A long URL like:

https://example.com/products/category/2026/new-arrivals/summer-sale

turns into

https://cutit.africa/HZVFNMHJ

Every click records analytics data and updates the dashboard instantly.

Captured Analytics

Each interaction records structured metadata:

• country
• device type
• browser
• share platform
• timestamp
• link ID

Share Platform Detection Examples

• WhatsApp
• X (formerly Twitter)
• Facebook
• Telegram
• LinkedIn
• Email
• Direct browser

Why This Matters

Many teams send links through SMS, social media, or marketing campaigns. Long URLs increase SMS cost and provide no analytics. Cut It solves both problems:

• Reduce SMS cost
• Measure marketing reach
• Understand audience behavior

Tech Stack

Frontend

React with TypeScript. Pure implementation without UI frameworks.

Backend

Go (Golang) for high concurrency and fast redirects.

Database

PostgreSQL for analytics storage and query performance.

Architecture Flow

1. User submits a long URL
2. System generates a short unique ID
3. User shares the short link
4. Visitor opens the link
5. Backend records interaction metadata
6. Visitor redirects to the original URL
7. Dashboard updates analytics instantly

Try the Platform

https://cutit.africa/

Cut It Short. Track It Deep.