Developer

API Architecture

REST conventions, standard response formats, and error handling policies.

API Architecture

The GO Shortener backend exposes a clean, synchronous JSON REST API under the /api namespace.

Response Serialization Standards

Success Envelope

Endpoints returning data deliver pure JSON with an appropriate HTTP 200 or 201 status code:

{
  "short_code": "K8xP2q",
  "short_url": "https://go.arcn.online/K8xP2q",
  "destination_url": "https://github.com/ItsARCn/Go-shortner",
  "expires_at": "2026-09-10T14:30:00Z",
  "created_at": "2026-09-03T14:30:00Z"
}

Standard Error Envelope

When an operation fails, the API responds with a structured error payload:

{
  "error": "The destination URL cannot point to internal or private IP subnets."
}

HTTP Status Codes Reference

Code	Name	Usage in GO Shortener
`200`	OK	Successful fetch, update, or action resolution
`201`	Created	Successful short link creation or account registration
`302`	Found	Active link redirection to target destination URL
`400`	Bad Request	Malformed JSON, failed URL validation, or SSRF policy violation
`401`	Unauthorized	Missing, invalid, or expired `go_session` cookie
`403`	Forbidden	Insufficient RBAC permissions, banned user, or disabled link
`404`	Not Found	Target short code or user does not exist
`410`	Gone	Target short link has expired
`429`	Too Many Requests	Anonymous 24-hour quota or monthly registered quota exceeded
`500`	Internal Error	Unhandled server panic or SQLite transaction error

Authentication Mechanism

API calls to protected endpoints authenticate using the HTTP-only go_session cookie:

For web applications, standard fetch with credentials: "include" automatically transmits the cookie.

For external API testing via curl, supply the cookie header:

Terminal

curl -H "Cookie: go_session=your_session_token" https://go.arcn.online/api/user/dashboard

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Architecture

Internal engineering, directory organization, and high-performance design patterns.

Database

SQLite engine configuration, WAL mode, schema design, and table definitions.