Design a URL Shortener

Design a URL shortener that converts a long web address into a short alias and redirects clients to the original page (Bit.ly / TinyURL style). Surfaces key generation / hashing, the redirect path, storage, caching, and scale. URL Shortener A URL shortener takes a long web address and turns it into a short link. When a user clicks the short link, they are redirected to the original page. Services like Bit.ly and TinyURL are examples of this. The basic idea is simple, but there is enough depth to challenge a senior design: short-key generation (counter + base62, or hashing with collision handling), the read-heavy redirect path, durable mapping storage, caching the hottest links, and scaling reads globally.