Build a URL Shortener with n8n and Airtable

Introduction

URL shortening is a handy tool that converts long URLs into shorter, more manageable links, often enhancing usability and tracking.Click tracking also helps analyze link performance. In this tutorial, we will explore a workflow design using n8n to build a powerful URL shortener with Airtable integration, similar to services like bit.ly. This workflow generates short URLs, stores them with metadata, tracks click counts, and provides a dashboard for analytics.

Workflow Overview

The workflow consists of three primary operations handled through webhook endpoints:

• URL Shortening: Accepts a long URL, generates a unique short ID, stores it in Airtable if not existing, and returns the short URL.
• Redirection & Click Tracking: Resolves short URLs to their original long URLs, records each click by updating click counts in Airtable.
• Dashboard: Fetches aggregated statistics like total clicks, total links, and hosts, then renders an HTML dashboard.

Detailed Workflow Explanation

1. URL Shortening Flow

• Webhook Node: Receives GET requests with a url query parameter.
• Check URL: Validates if the url parameter exists; if missing, returns an error message.
• Extract URL: Extracts the url query value.
• Crypto Hash: Uses SHA256 hashing on the URL to create a consistent unique hash.
• Set Short ID: Takes first 6 characters of the hash to serve as the short URL identifier along with long URL and short URL format.
• Find in Airtable: Checks if this short ID already exists in your Airtable database.
• Already Exists?: If found, returns the existing short URL without adding a new entry.
• Append New Record: If not found, sets initial clicks count and details, then appends a new record in Airtable.
• Response: Returns the short URL in the API response.

2. Redirection and Click Tracking Flow

• Webhook for Redirect: Receives id query parameter which is the short link’s identifier.
• Find by ID in Airtable: Retrieves the matching long URL and details.
• Exists Check: If the ID exists, proceeds; if not, outputs a 404 Not Found message.
• Update Click Count: Increments the clicks count by 1 and updates it back in Airtable.
• Redirect Response: Returns an HTML page with JavaScript that automatically redirects the user to the original long URL.

3. Dashboard Flow

• Webhook for Dashboard: No query parameters needed.
• Retrieve All Records: Lists all entries from the Airtable base.
• Extract Stats Function: Calculates totals for links, clicks, and unique hosts.
• Set Dashboard: Constructs an HTML dashboard showing these stats with styling.

How to Set Up

1. Create an Airtable base with appropriate columns: id, longUrl, shortUrl, clicks, and host.
2. Obtain your Airtable API key and base ID.
3. Configure the Airtable nodes in n8n with your API credentials.
4. Deploy the given workflow with webhooks for URL creation (/sh), redirection (/go), and dashboard (/dashboard).
5. Test by passing long URLs to the /sh endpoint and navigating to generated short links under /go?id=....

SEO Keywords

URL shortener, click tracking, Airtable integration, n8n automation, URL hash generation, dashboard analytics, link redirection service

Call to Action

Start building your own URL shortener today using n8n and Airtable to automate your link management and gain valuable usage insights. Experiment with the workflow and customize it for your needs!