Publishing tool to request, approve and create Short URLs on GOV.UK.

##Technical documentation

Short URLs are a short and easy to type URL that redirects to a piece of content at a much longer URL.

They are often used on posters, in leaflets or over the phone, so they are easy to use. For example:

/dwp/cps5

to

/government/publications/your-state-pension-estimate-explained-cps5

Currently this tool allows departmental users to request redirects within the scope of their department, eg, under dwp above. Future versions may add workflow for requesting/managing top level Short URLs, eg, /ebola to /government/topical-events/ebola-government-response.

• MongoDB - main data store
• Redis - for distributed locking using mlanett/redis-lock
• alphagov/gds-sso: Provides authentication OmniAuth adapter to allow apps to sign in via GOV.UK auth
• alphagov/publishing-api: the central store of published content on GOV.UK. Once a redirect has been accepted, redirects are registered to this API.

$ ./startup.sh

If you are using the GDS development virtual machine then the application will be available on the host at http://short-url-manager.dev.gov.uk/

$ bundle exec rake

You will need a copy of govuk-content-schemas on your file system. By default these should be in a sibling directory to your project. Alternatively, you can specify their location with the GOVUK_CONTENT_SCHEMAS_PATH environment variable.

Users must be given sign on permissions to access and use the features of this tool. There are two kinds of permission:

• request_short_urls: Can complete a form to request a new Short URL, which must be approved before being made
• manage_short_urls: Can approve requests for Short URLs, and create the redirects on GOV.UK

MIT License