Architecture

Day-to-day link creation does not require reading this page. If you only use the website, start with Getting started.

Runtime stack

• Framework: Next.js 16 App Router (React 19), Tailwind 4.
• Database: Turso (libSQL) via @libsql/client + Drizzle ORM (db/schema.ts).
• Auth: Clerk (middleware.ts + session on API routes).
• Billing: Stripe Checkout, Customer Portal, webhooks.
• Optional: OpenAI + Vercel Blob for AI-generated preview text/images in the wizard.

Request flows

Marketing & app UI

• / — Server-rendered landing.
• /create — Client wizard (dynamic import, no SSR); requires sign-in via middleware.
• /dashboard — Workspace links and Pro tooling.

Short link resolution

GET /s/[slug] loads the link row, checks isActive and expiresAt, classifies User-Agent via lib/crawler-uas.ts:

• Preview bot: returns HTML with og:title, og:description, optional og:image, Vary: User-Agent.
• Human: 302 to destination with UTM query params merged in; click logged asynchronously to link_clicks.

Middleware

Clerk protects private routes. Optional rewrite: verified custom host + path /slug → internal /s/slug (see Custom domains).

Data model (conceptual)

• users — maps Clerk user id to internal id.
• workspaces — plan (free / pro), Stripe customer/subscription fields.
• workspace_members — user ↔ workspace (owner role today).
• links — slug, destination, bot meta, workspace, UTM, expiry, active flag.
• link_clicks — per-click analytics (referrer, country).
• api_keys — hashed keys for /api/v1 (Pro).
• custom_domains — hostname → workspace (verified flag).
• stripe_events_processed — webhook idempotency.
• rate_limit_buckets — per-fingerprint minute windows.

Details: Database schema.