Link Tracker API

A simple web service that tracks links to your client websites and provides reports for SEO indexing services.

What This Does

This tool helps you:

• Track which pages link to your client websites
• Generate lists of URLs to submit to indexing services like colinkiri
• Keep track of which URLs you've already submitted

Installation

Step 1: Install Python

On Mac:

1. Open Terminal (press Cmd + Space, type "Terminal", press Enter)
2. Install Homebrew if you don't have it:

   /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
   

3. Install Python:

   brew install python
   

On Windows:

1. Go to https://python.org/downloads/
2. Download the latest Python version
3. Run the installer
4. Important: Check "Add Python to PATH" during installation
5. Open Command Prompt (press Win + R, type "cmd", press Enter)

Step 2: Download the Project

1. Open Terminal (Mac) or Command Prompt (Windows)
2. Navigate to where you want to install the project:

   cd Desktop
   

3. Clone the project from GitHub:

   git clone https://git.peninsulaindustries.com/bryanb/Link-Tracker-Server.git
   cd link-tracker
   

Step 3: Install Required Packages

On Mac (Terminal):

cd ~/Desktop/link-tracker
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

On Windows (Command Prompt):

cd %USERPROFILE%\Desktop\link-tracker
python -m venv venv
venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Running the Server

On Mac:

cd ~/Desktop/link-tracker
source venv/bin/activate
python main.py

On Windows:

cd %USERPROFILE%\Desktop\link-tracker
venv\Scripts\activate
python main.py

You should see something like:

INFO:     Started server process [12345]
INFO:     Waiting for application startup.
INFO:     Application startup complete.
INFO:     Uvicorn running on http://0.0.0.0:8000

The server is now running! Keep this window open while you use the system.

Getting Your URL Reports

For Colinkiri Indexing Service

Open your web browser and go to:

http://localhost:8000/urls/for-colinkiri

This will show you a list of URLs, one per line, that you can copy and paste into colinkiri. Important: After you visit this URL, those pages are marked as "submitted" so they won't appear in future reports.

For Other Indexing Services

Open your web browser and go to:

http://localhost:8000/urls/for-indexer

Same as above, but for a different indexing service.

Updating to the Latest Version

When updates are available, you can easily update the project:

1. Stop the server (press Ctrl + C in the terminal)
2. Update the code:

   git pull origin main
   

3. Update any new dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

4. Restart the server:

   python main.py
   

Note: Your data (link_tracker.db file) will not be affected by updates.

Stopping the Server

To stop the server, go back to your Terminal/Command Prompt window and press Ctrl + C.

Troubleshooting

"Command not found" errors:

• Make sure Python is installed and added to your PATH
• Try using python3 instead of python on Mac
• Try using py instead of python on Windows

"Port already in use" error:

• Another program is using port 8000
• Try changing the port in main.py (last line): uvicorn.run(app, host="0.0.0.0", port=8001)
• Then use http://localhost:8001 instead of http://localhost:8000

Can't access the URLs:

• Make sure the server is running (you should see the "Uvicorn running" message)
• Check that you're using the correct URL: http://localhost:8000
• Try refreshing your browser

Other Available Endpoints

These are for advanced users or developers:

View All Captured Pages

http://localhost:8000/pages

Shows all pages that have been captured with link information.

View Statistics

http://localhost:8000/stats

Shows overall statistics about captured pages and links.

Search for Pages Linking to Specific URL

http://localhost:8000/search/linking-to?target_url=https://example.com

Find all pages that link to a specific URL.

View Links for Specific Client

http://localhost:8000/clients/clientdomain.com/links

See all links pointing to a specific client domain.

API Documentation

http://localhost:8000/docs

Interactive API documentation (for developers).

Data Storage

The system automatically creates a file called link_tracker.db in the same folder as main.py. This file contains all your captured data. Don't delete this file unless you want to lose all your data.

Support

If you run into issues:

1. Make sure Python is properly installed
2. Make sure you're in the correct folder when running commands
3. Check that the server is running before trying to access URLs
4. Try restarting the server if something seems stuck