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Link shortener with the help of the management console

Written by
Updated at May 28, 2026

To create a link shortener using the Yandex Cloud management console:

  1. Get your cloud ready.
  2. Set up hosting for the URL shortener page.
  3. Create a service account.
  4. Create a database in Yandex Managed Service for YDB.
  5. Set up a function in Yandex Cloud Functions.
  6. Publish your URL shortener via Yandex API Gateway.
  7. Test the URL shortener.

If you no longer need the resources you created, delete them.

Get your cloud ready

Sign up for Yandex Cloud and create a billing account:

  1. Navigate to the management console and log in to Yandex Cloud or create a new account.
  2. On the Yandex Cloud Billing page, make sure you have a billing account linked and it has the ACTIVE or TRIAL_ACTIVE status. If you do not have a billing account, create one and link a cloud to it.

If you have an active billing account, you can create or select a folder for your infrastructure on the cloud page.

Learn more about clouds and folders here.

The infrastructure support cost for the URL shortener includes:

Set up hosting for the URL shortener page

To create a bucket, upload your URL shortener's HTML page to it, and configure it for static website hosting:

  1. In the management console, select your working folder.

  2. Select Object Storage.

  3. Click Create bucket.

  4. On the bucket creation page:

    1. Enter a name for the bucket.

      Warning

      Bucket names are unique throughout Object Storage, which means you cannot create two buckets with the same name, even in different folders belonging to different clouds.

    2. Set the maximum size to 1 GB.

    3. Set object read access to For all.

    4. Click Create bucket to complete the operation.

  5. Copy the HTML code and paste it into index.html:

    HTML code
    <!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">

<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>URL shortener</title>
  <!-- warns against sending unnecessary GET requests to /favicon.ico -->
  <link rel="icon" href="data:;base64,iVBORw0KGgo=">
</head>

<body>
  <h1>Welcome</h1>
  <form action="javascript:shorten()">
    <label for="url">Enter a link:</label><br>
    <input id="url" name="url" type="text"><br>
    <input type="submit" value="Shorten">
  </form>
  <p id="shortened"></p>
</body>

<script>
  function shorten() {
    const link = document.getElementById("url").value
    fetch("/shorten", {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
      },
      body: link
    })
    .then(response => response.json())
    .then(data => {
      const url = data.url
      document.getElementById("shortened").innerHTML = `<a href=${url}>${url}</a>`
    })
    .catch(error => {
      document.getElementById("shortened").innerHTML = `<p>${error} occurred. Try again.</p>`
    })
  }
</script>

</html>

  6. Click the name of the bucket you created.

  7. Click Upload objects.

  8. Specify the index.html file you set up earlier.

  9. Click Upload.

  10. In the left-hand panel, select the Website tab.

  11. Select Hosting.

  12. Specify the website's home page: index.html.

  13. Click Save.

Create a service account

To create a service account to enable interaction between the shortener components:

  1. Navigate to your working folder.

  2. Go to Identity and Access Management.

  3. Click Create service account.

  4. Enter a name for the service account: serverless-shortener.

  5. Click Add role and select editor.

  6. Click Create.

  7. Click the name of the service account you created.

    Save the service account ID, as you will need it later.

Create a database in Managed Service for YDB

To create a database in Managed Service for YDB and configure it to store URLs:

  1. Navigate to your working folder.

  2. In the list of services, select Managed Service for YDB.

  3. Click Create a database.

  4. Enter the database name: for-serverless-shortener.

  5. Select Serverless as the database type.

  6. Click Create a database.

  7. Wait for the database to start.

    While being created, your database will have the Provisioning status. Once it is ready for use, its status will change to Running.

  8. Click the database name.

    Save the Endpoint field value, as you will need it later.

  9. In the left-hand panel, select the Navigation tab.

  10. Select Create → Table on the right side of the page.

  11. Configure the table:

    • Name tables: links.
    • Table type: Row table.

  12. Add these columns:

    • Column name: id; data type: Utf8. Set Primary key.
    • Column name: link; data type: Utf8.

  13. Click Create table.

Set up a function in Cloud Functions

To create and set up a URL shortening function:

  1. Navigate to your working folder.

  2. In the list of services, select Cloud Functions.

  3. Click Create function.

  4. Enter the name: for-serverless-shortener.

  5. Click Create.

  6. From the Python drop-down list, select the python312 runtime environment.

  7. Click Continue.

  8. Copy the function code and paste it into index.py under Function code.

    Function code
    import ydb
import urllib.parse
import hashlib
import base64
import json
import os
import traceback

def decode(event, body):
    is_base64_encoded = event.get('isBase64Encoded')
    if is_base64_encoded:
        body = str(base64.b64decode(body), 'utf-8')
    return body

def response(statusCode, headers, isBase64Encoded, body):
    # Always returning string to body
    if not isinstance(body, str):
        body = json.dumps(body, ensure_ascii=False)
    return {
        'statusCode': statusCode,
        'headers': headers,
        'isBase64Encoded': isBase64Encoded,
        'body': body,
    }

def get_config():
    endpoint = os.getenv("endpoint")
    database = os.getenv("database")
    if endpoint is None or database is None:
        raise AssertionError("You need to specify both environment variables: endpoint and database")
    credentials = ydb.iam.MetadataUrlCredentials()
    return ydb.DriverConfig(endpoint, database, credentials=credentials)

def execute(config, query, params):
    with ydb.Driver(config) as driver:
        try:
            driver.wait(timeout=5, fail_fast=True)
        except Exception as e:
            print("Connect failed to YDB:", e)
            print(driver.discovery_debug_details())
            raise

        session = driver.table_client.session().create()
        prepared_query = session.prepare(query)
        return session.transaction(ydb.SerializableReadWrite()).execute(
            prepared_query,
            params,
            commit_tx=True
        )

def insert_link(id, link):
    config = get_config()
    query = """
    DECLARE $id AS Utf8;
    DECLARE $link AS Utf8;

    UPSERT INTO links (id, link) VALUES ($id, $link);
    """
    params = {'$id': id, '$link': link}
    execute(config, query, params)

def find_link(id):
    config = get_config()
    query = """
    DECLARE $id AS Utf8;

    SELECT link FROM links where id=$id;
    """
    params = {'$id': id}
    result_set = execute(config, query, params)

    if not result_set or not result_set[0].rows:
        return None

    # Paying attention to the structure of the result from ydb
    return result_set[0].rows[0].link

def shorten(event):
    try:
        body = event.get('body')
        if body is None:
            return response(400, {'Content-Type': 'application/json'}, False,
                            {'error': 'No body in the request body'})

        body = decode(event, body)

        # Attempting to parse JSON with a url key; otherwise, treating body as a plain string
        url_value = None
        try:
            parsed = json.loads(body)
            if isinstance(parsed, dict):
                url_value = parsed.get('url')
            else:
                # If not a JSON object is sent, ignoring
                url_value = None
        except Exception:
            # If body is not JSON, treating it as plain URL
            url_value = body

        if not url_value:
            return response(400, {'Content-Type': 'application/json'}, False,
                            {'error': 'The url parameter was expected in the request body'})

        # Cleaning the URL from eventual coded characters
        clean_url = urllib.parse.unquote(url_value).strip()
        if not clean_url:
            return response(400, {'Content-Type': 'application/json'}, False,
                            {'error': 'Empty url'})

        link_id = hashlib.sha256(clean_url.encode('utf8')).hexdigest()[:6]
        insert_link(link_id, clean_url)

        # Returning the relative path; the frontend will add the origin by themselves
        return response(200, {'Content-Type': 'application/json'}, False,
                        {'url': f'/r/{link_id}'})
    except Exception as e:
        print("Exception in shorten():", e)
        traceback.print_exc()
        return response(500, {'Content-Type': 'application/json'}, False,
                        {'error': 'internal server error'})

def redirect(event):
    try:
        # Securely retrieving path params
        path_params = event.get('pathParams') or event.get('pathParameters') or {}
        link_id = path_params.get('id')
        if not link_id:
            # Probably, the full path was received in event['url'] or ['path']
            url = event.get('url') or event.get('path') or ''
            if url and url.startswith('/r/'):
                link_id = url.split('/r/')[-1].split('?')[0]

        if not link_id:
            return response(400, {'Content-Type': 'application/json'}, False, {'error': 'No ID'})

        redirect_to = find_link(link_id)

        if redirect_to:
            return response(302, {'Location': redirect_to}, False, '')
        return response(404, {'Content-Type': 'application/json'}, False, {'error': 'The link does not exist'})
    except Exception as e:
        print("Exception in redirect():", e)
        traceback.print_exc()
        return response(500, {'Content-Type': 'application/json'}, False, {'error': 'internal server error'})

def get_result(url, event):
    if url == "/shorten" or url.startswith("/shorten"):
        return shorten(event)
    if url.startswith("/r/"):
        return redirect(event)
    return response(404, {'Content-Type': 'application/json'}, False, {'error': 'The path does not exist'})

def handler(event, context):
    url = event.get('url') or event.get('path') or ''
    if url:
        # Sometimes, the URL from the gateway comes with a question mark at the end
        if url.endswith('?'):
            url = url[:-1]
        return get_result(url, event)
    return response(404, {'Content-Type': 'application/json'}, False, {'error': 'The function must be called via API Gateway.'})

  9. Under Function code, create a file named requirements.txt and paste the following text into it:

    ydb

  10. Specify the entry point: index.handler.

  11. Set the timeout to 5.

  12. Select the serverless-shortener service account.

  13. Add these environment variables:

    • endpoint: Enter the first part of the previously saved Endpoint field value (preceding /?database=), e.g., grpcs://ydb.serverless.yandexcloud.net:2135.
    • database: Enter the second part of the previously saved Endpoint field value (following /?database=), e.g., /ru-central1/r1gra875baom********/g5n22e7ejfr1********.

  14. Click Save changes.

  15. Under Overview, enable Public function.

Save the function ID, as you will need it later.

Publish your URL shortener via API Gateway

To publish your URL shortener via API Gateway:

  1. Navigate to your working folder.

  2. From the list of services, select API Gateway.

  3. Click Create API gateway.

  4. In the Name field, enter for-serverless-shortener.

  5. Copy and paste the following code under Specification:

    API gateway specification
    openapi: 3.0.0
info:
  title: for-serverless-shortener
  version: 1.0.0
paths:
  /:
    get:
      x-yc-apigateway-integration:
        type: object_storage
        bucket: <bucket_name>#<-- bucket name
        object: index.html # <-- HTML file name
        presigned_redirect: false
        service_account: <service_account_id> # <-- service_account_ID
      operationId: static
  /shorten:
    post:
      x-yc-apigateway-integration:
        type: cloud_functions
        function_id: <function_id> # <-- function ID
      operationId: shorten
  /r/{id}:
    get:
      x-yc-apigateway-integration:
        type: cloud_functions
        function_id: <function_id> # <-- function ID
      operationId: redirect
      parameters:
      - description: id of the url
        explode: false
        in: path
        name: id
        required: true
        schema:
          type: string
        style: simple

    Edit the specification code as follows:

    • Replace <service_account_id> with the ID of the service account you created.
    • Replace <function_id> with the ID of the function you created.
    • Replace <bucket_name> with the name of the bucket you created.

  6. Click Create.

  7. Click the name of the API gateway you created.

  8. Copy the url value from the specification.

    Use this URL to test the URL shortener.

Test the URL shortener

To make sure your shortener components interact properly:

  1. In your browser, open the previously copied shortener URL.

  2. In the input field, enter the URL you want to shorten.

  3. Click Shorten.

    You will see the shortened URL below.

  4. Open the shortened URL. It should lead to the same page as the original link.

How to delete the resources you created

To stop incurring charges for the resources you created:

  1. Delete for-serverless-shortener.
  2. Delete the function in for-serverless-shortener.
  3. Delete the for-serverless-shortener YDB database.
  4. Delete the bucket.

See also

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Overview
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