This tutorial builds **Linkly**, a link shortener, one worker at a time. You start with a single function that turns `/s/abc` into a redirect, and finish with a multi-tenant link platform that has durable execution, storage, analytics, a live click stream, bulk imports, and a browser worker on the same bus. Each chapter adds one capability by adding a worker to your existing system. The point is not the link shortener itself, but the pattern: a real system on iii is a set of small workers tha...
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# Overview
This tutorial builds **Linkly**, a link shortener, one worker at a time. You start with a single
function that turns `/s/abc` into a redirect, and finish with a multi-tenant link platform that has
durable execution, storage, analytics, a live click stream, bulk imports, and a browser worker on
the same bus.
Each chapter adds one capability by adding a worker to your existing system. The point is not the
link shortener itself, but the pattern: a real system on iii is a set of small workers that invoke
each other's functions through the engine. You add capability without rewriting what came before.
<Note>
New to iii? Start with [Getting started](/quickstart) to install the engine and meet functions,
triggers, and workers before you begin.
</Note>
## Ch. 1: Foundations
Build a custom `link` worker with `link::create` and `link::resolve`, store links in memory, then
expose them over HTTP with `http` as `POST /links` and `GET /s/:code`.
## Ch. 2: Observe everything
Use the engine-injected `iii-observability` functions for logs and traces, and open the `console` to
inspect functions, triggers, and live invocations.
## Ch. 3: Persist everything
Add a `database` worker (SQLite) so links and click events are stored durably and survive restarts,
with `state` kept in front as a fast read cache.
## Ch. 4: Make it durable
Push click events onto `queue` so redirects stay fast, and publish `link.created` events with
`pubsub` that a cache and an analytics function each subscribe to.
## Ch. 5: Stream live clicks
Push every click to subscribers in real time from a dedicated `click-streamer` worker with
`iii-stream`.
## Ch. 6: Move bulk data with channels
Bulk-load links from a CSV in a single streamed upload over a channel.
## Ch. 7: Bring in the browser
Turn a browser tab into a worker with the browser SDK: invoke `link::create` directly, subscribe to
the click stream, and register a browser-side function the server can call.
