Welcome to the final project of the REST API course! In this project, you will apply the principles and techniques you have learned throughout the course to design and develop your own RESTful API. This project will help consolidate your knowledge and give you practical experience in creating a fully functional API.

You will design and develop a RESTful API for a simple application of your choice. The application could be anything that interests you, such as a task manager, a blog, a library management system, or any other idea you have. The goal is to create an API that follows REST principles and best practices.

• Choose an Application: Decide on the application you want to build.
• Identify Resources: List the main resources your API will manage. For example, if you are building a task manager, your resources might include tasks, users, and projects.

• Resource URIs: Define the URIs for each resource.
• HTTP Methods: Specify which HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) will be used for each resource.
• Status Codes: Determine the appropriate HTTP status codes for different responses.
• Versioning: Decide on an API versioning strategy.

• Set Up the Development Environment: Choose a programming language and framework. Set up your development environment.
• Create the Server: Develop a basic server to handle requests.
• Implement CRUD Operations: Implement Create, Read, Update, and Delete operations for your resources.
• Authentication and Authorization: Implement authentication and authorization if needed.
• Error Handling: Implement proper error handling.
• Testing and Validation: Write tests to ensure your API works as expected.

• API Documentation: Create comprehensive documentation for your API using tools like Swagger.

• Deployment: Deploy your API to a cloud service or a hosting provider.

1. Choose an Application: Let's say you choose to build a simple task manager.
2. Identify Resources:
   • Tasks: Represents individual tasks.
   • Users: Represents users who manage tasks.
   • Projects: Represents projects that group tasks.

1. Resource URIs:

   • /api/v1/tasks
   • /api/v1/users
   • /api/v1/projects

2. HTTP Methods:

   • Tasks:
     • GET /api/v1/tasks: Retrieve all tasks.
     • POST /api/v1/tasks: Create a new task.
     • GET /api/v1/tasks/{id}: Retrieve a specific task by ID.
     • PUT /api/v1/tasks/{id}: Update a specific task by ID.
     • DELETE /api/v1/tasks/{id}: Delete a specific task by ID.
   • Users:
     • GET /api/v1/users: Retrieve all users.
     • POST /api/v1/users: Create a new user.
     • GET /api/v1/users/{id}: Retrieve a specific user by ID.
     • PUT /api/v1/users/{id}: Update a specific user by ID.
     • DELETE /api/v1/users/{id}: Delete a specific user by ID.
   • Projects:
     • GET /api/v1/projects: Retrieve all projects.
     • POST /api/v1/projects: Create a new project.
     • GET /api/v1/projects/{id}: Retrieve a specific project by ID.
     • PUT /api/v1/projects/{id}: Update a specific project by ID.
     • DELETE /api/v1/projects/{id}: Delete a specific project by ID.

3. Status Codes:

   • 200 OK: Successful GET, PUT, DELETE requests.
   • 201 Created: Successful POST requests.
   • 400 Bad Request: Invalid request data.
   • 401 Unauthorized: Authentication required.
   • 404 Not Found: Resource not found.
   • 500 Internal Server Error: Server error.

4. Versioning: Use URL versioning, e.g., /api/v1/.

1. Set Up the Development Environment:

   • Choose a language and framework (e.g., Node.js with Express).
   • Install necessary tools and libraries.

2. Create the Server:

   const express = require('express');
   const app = express();
   const port = 3000;
   
   app.use(express.json());
   
   app.listen(port, () => {
       console.log(`Server running on port ${port}`);
   });
   

3. Implement CRUD Operations:

   // In-memory data store for simplicity
   let tasks = [];
   
   // GET /api/v1/tasks
   app.get('/api/v1/tasks', (req, res) => {
       res.status(200).json(tasks);
   });
   
   // POST /api/v1/tasks
   app.post('/api/v1/tasks', (req, res) => {
       const task = req.body;
       tasks.push(task);
       res.status(201).json(task);
   });
   
   // GET /api/v1/tasks/:id
   app.get('/api/v1/tasks/:id', (req, res) => {
       const task = tasks.find(t => t.id === parseInt(req.params.id));
       if (task) {
           res.status(200).json(task);
       } else {
           res.status(404).send('Task not found');
       }
   });
   
   // PUT /api/v1/tasks/:id
   app.put('/api/v1/tasks/:id', (req, res) => {
       const task = tasks.find(t => t.id === parseInt(req.params.id));
       if (task) {
           Object.assign(task, req.body);
           res.status(200).json(task);
       } else {
           res.status(404).send('Task not found');
       }
   });
   
   // DELETE /api/v1/tasks/:id
   app.delete('/api/v1/tasks/:id', (req, res) => {
       const taskIndex = tasks.findIndex(t => t.id === parseInt(req.params.id));
       if (taskIndex !== -1) {
           tasks.splice(taskIndex, 1);
           res.status(200).send('Task deleted');
       } else {
           res.status(404).send('Task not found');
       }
   });
   

4. Authentication and Authorization:

   • Implement JWT or OAuth for securing endpoints.

5. Error Handling:

   app.use((err, req, res, next) => {
       console.error(err.stack);
       res.status(500).send('Something broke!');
   });
   

6. Testing and Validation:

   • Use tools like Postman to test your API endpoints.
   • Write unit tests using frameworks like Mocha or Jest.

• API Documentation: Use Swagger to document your API.

  openapi: 3.0.0
  info:
    title: Task Manager API
    version: 1.0.0
  paths:
    /tasks:
      get:
        summary: Retrieve all tasks
        responses:
          '200':
            description: A list of tasks
            content:
              application/json:
                schema:
                  type: array
                  items:
                    $ref: '#/components/schemas/Task'
      post:
        summary: Create a new task
        requestBody:
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Task'
        responses:
          '201':
            description: Task created
  components:
    schemas:
      Task:
        type: object
        properties:
          id:
            type: integer
          name:
            type: string
          completed:
            type: boolean
  

• Deployment: Deploy your API to a cloud service like Heroku, AWS, or Azure.

Congratulations! You have completed the final project of the REST API course. By designing and developing your own RESTful API, you have gained practical experience and reinforced your understanding of REST principles and best practices. Continue to build and improve your API, and explore more advanced topics and features as you grow your skills.