SIMPLE REST API

Overview BRIEF

Design and deploy a stateless, production-ready RESTful web service API that implements standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE), parses JSON payloads, returns consistent response envelopes, formats standardized HTTP status codes, and integrates automated request logging.

Tools & Skills Required CONCEPTS APPLIED

Node.js (Express.js) or Python (FastAPI / Flask) REST Architectural Principles & Resource URIs HTTP Methods (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE) HTTP Status Codes (200, 201, 400, 404, 500) JSON Body Parsing & Route/Query Parameters Middleware Pipeline (CORS, Morgan / Logger) Centralized Global Error Handling Interceptor API Documentation (Swagger / OpenAPI 3.0)

Target & Key Features SPECIFICATION

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Standardized Resource Endpoints: Provide semantic REST endpoints for item retrieval, creation, partial updates, and deletion adhering to HTTP method standards.
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Consistent JSON Response Envelope: Standardize all successful and failed server outputs with metadata fields including status flags, timestamps, and payload arrays.
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Global Error Interceptor Middleware: Catch unhandled exceptions and client parameter errors gracefully without leaking internal stack traces.
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Interactive OpenAPI & Swagger Spec: Generate an interactive API playground documentation endpoint (`/api/docs`) allowing instant browser-based endpoint testing.

◆ TARGET REST API ARCHITECTURE & ENDPOINT MATRIX

[ROUTING TABLE SPECIFICATION]

GET /api/v1/items: 200 OK (Fetch all resources with filter query)

POST /api/v1/items: 201 Created (Validate body & return new item)

PUT /api/v1/items/:id: 200 OK (Full resource replacement by UUID)

DELETE /api/v1/items/:id: 204 No Content (Remove resource safely)

[STANDARD RESPONSE ENVELOPE]

Status Flag: { "success": true, "code": 200 }

Metadata: { "timestamp": "ISO-8601", "count": 25 }

Error Standard: { "error": "Not Found", "message": "ID missing" }

Documentation: Swagger UI Playground active at /docs

PRACTICAL BACKEND & CLOUD PROJECTS

2 BEGINNER

USER AUTHENTICATION API

Overview BRIEF

Build an enterprise-grade identity and session access management service featuring cryptographic password salting and hashing, JSON Web Token (JWT) issuance, access and refresh token lifecycle rotation, rate limiting, and route protection guards.

Tools & Skills Required CONCEPTS APPLIED

Node.js (Express) or Python (FastAPI) Bcrypt (Salt Rounds & Timing-Safe Password Hash) JSON Web Tokens (JWT: Sign, Verify, Claims) Dual-Token Rotation (Short-Lived Access + Refresh) HTTP-Only & SameSite Secure Cookies Auth Middleware Guards (Bearer Authorization Header) Rate Limiting & Brute-Force Defense Input Validation (Email format, Password complexity)

Target & Key Features SPECIFICATION

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Secure Registration & Password Salting: Validate incoming user credentials, ensure uniqueness, and hash raw passwords with Bcrypt cost factor 12 prior to persistence.
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Dual-Token Authentication Lifecycle: Issue a short-lived access token (15-min expiry) for API operations and a securely stored refresh token (7-day expiry) for silent renewals.
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Route Protection Middleware Guard: Intercept protected endpoints, extract the Bearer token from headers, verify cryptographic signatures, and inject user payload into request contexts.
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Anti-Abuse Rate Limiting: Enforce sliding-window rate limiters on `/login` and `/register` endpoints to thwart automated dictionary attacks and credential stuffing.

◆ TARGET AUTHENTICATION PROTOCOL & SECURITY MATRIX

[AUTH ENDPOINT CONTRACT]

POST /api/auth/register: 201 Created (Bcrypt hashed user record)

POST /api/auth/login: 200 OK (Returns Access Token + Sets Refresh Cookie)

POST /api/auth/refresh: 200 OK (Rotates tokens without re-login)

GET /api/auth/me: 200 OK (Protected: Returns authenticated profile)

[SECURITY ENFORCEMENT HUD]

Password Algorithm: Bcrypt (Salt 12 rounds, Zero plaintext)

Token Format: JWT HMAC-SHA256 (Exp: 900s, Sub: UserUUID)

Auth Guard Policy: 401 Unauthorized / 403 Forbidden interceptor

Brute-Force Shield: Max 5 failed attempts per IP / 15 minutes

PRACTICAL BACKEND & CLOUD PROJECTS

3 BEGINNER

CRUD API WITH DATABASE

Overview BRIEF

Engineer a robust database-backed CRUD service integrated with a relational SQL or NoSQL datastore, implementing strict schema validation, database connection pooling, query pagination and search filtering, automated migrations, and cloud container readiness.

Tools & Skills Required CONCEPTS APPLIED

Database: PostgreSQL / MySQL or MongoDB ORM / Query Layer: Prisma, TypeORM or Mongoose Schema Validation: Zod / Joi / Pydantic Connection Pool Management & Graceful Shutdown Database Migrations & Seed Scripts Query Pagination (?page=1&limit=20) & Sorting Cloud Containerization (Dockerfile, docker-compose) Health Check Telemetry (/healthz & /ready)

Target & Key Features SPECIFICATION

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Data Persistence & Connection Pooling: Establish reliable ORM datastore connection pools with automatic reconnection logic, transaction support, and graceful termination hooks.
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Strict Request Schema Validation: Validate inbound payload shapes with Zod/Pydantic schemas, rejecting invalid types or omitted fields with HTTP 422 Unprocessable Entity.
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Paginated Query & Keyword Filter Engine: Support scalable resource queries with limit/offset pagination, multi-column sorting parameters, and case-insensitive search filters.
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Cloud Dockerization & Liveness Probes: Package the application into an optimized multi-stage Docker container with dedicated `/healthz` and `/ready` endpoints for container orchestrators.

◆ TARGET DATABASE CRUD ARCHITECTURE & DEPLOYMENT SPEC

[DATA LAYER & CRUD OPERATIONS]

Database Engine: PostgreSQL 16 (Connection Pool Size: 20)

ORM Modeling: Prisma Schema with Declarative Migrations

Pagination: GET /api/v1/records?page=1&limit=10&sort=desc

Validation Engine: Zod Schema Parser (Rejects invalid payloads)

[CLOUD RUNTIME & HEALTH PROBES]

Container Image: Alpine Linux Multi-Stage Dockerfile (< 140MB)

Health Probe: GET /healthz → 200 OK { db: "connected", uptime: "..." }

Graceful Shutdown: Handles SIGTERM / SIGINT, drains connection pool

Config Strategy: Strict 12-Factor App Environment Variables