How to Optimize Short URL Generation with Different Bases

Shortening URLs with PHP

When creating short URLs, it's common practice to rely on hashes to generate unique identifiers. However, a better approach is to use different bases for this purpose. TinyURL, for instance, uses a base of either 36 or 62.

Converting Base 36 to Integer:

<code class="php">$intValue = intval($str, 36);</code>

Converting Integer to Base 36:

<code class="php">$base36Value = base_convert($val, 10, 36);</code>

Instead of using routes like /url/1234, shorter URLs can be created with bases like /url/ax. This approach offers several advantages:

• No collisions: Each URL is unique and maps to a record in the database.
• Faster processing: Base conversions are typically faster than hashing.
• Verifying existence: The existing ID can be easily retrieved in base 36 format without user knowledge.

In conclusion, it's advisable to utilize different bases rather than hashing when generating short URLs. This allows for optimized performance, collision avoidance, and simplified database lookups.

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