Ecosyste.ms: Awesome

An open API service indexing awesome lists of open source software.

Awesome Lists | Featured Topics | Projects

https://github.com/jeremielitzler/demo-api-with-flask

Atempt to build an REST API using Flask
https://github.com/jeremielitzler/demo-api-with-flask

Last synced: 7 days ago
JSON representation

Atempt to build an REST API using Flask

Awesome Lists containing this project

README 

        
# demo-api-with-flask



Atempt to build an REST API using **Flask 3+ and Python 3.12+**



## Prompt given to Gemini



```text

Hi, what do I need to know to build a python rest api and what are the steps to do it?

```



## Steps to Build a Python REST API:



### Choose a Web Framework: Popular options include:



Flask: Lightweight and flexible, good for smaller projects. (https://flask.palletsprojects.com/)

Django REST Framework: Built on top of Django, provides powerful features for complex APIs. (https://www.django-rest-framework.org/)

FastAPI: High performance, automatic data validation, modern design principles. (https://github.com/tiangolo/full-stack-fastapi-template)



Consider factors like project size, complexity, and your familiarity with each framework.



### Set Up Your Development Environment:



- Install Python (version 3.6 or later recommended). (https://www.python.org/downloads/)

- Install your chosen web framework using pip (Python's package manager):



```bash

pip install flask

```



### Define Your API Resources:



- Identify the data or functionality your API will manage (e.g., books, tasks, users).

- Plan URL endpoints for accessing these resources (e.g., /books, /tasks/123, /users/me).



```python 

# GET /projects

# POST /projects

# GET /projects/:id

# DELETE /projects/:id

# PUT /projects/:id



# GET /tasks/:projectid

# POST /tasks

# GET /tasks/:id

# DELETE /tasks/:id

# PUT /tasks/:id



# GET /records/:projectid

# GET /records/:taskid

# POST /records

# GET /records/:id

# DELETE /records/:id

# PUT /records/:id



```



### Create API Endpoints:



- Use your framework's decorators to define routes that handle HTTP requests for specific URLs.



```python

from flask import Flask, jsonify



app = Flask(__name__)



@app.route('/books', methods=['GET'])

def get_books():

    # Fetch book data from a database or other source

    books = [

        {'title': 'Book 1', 'author': 'Author 1'},

        {'title': 'Book 2', 'author': 'Author 2'}

    ]

    return jsonify(books)  # Convert data to JSON format



if __name__ == '__main__':

    app.run(debug=True)

```



### Handle HTTP Methods:



- Use appropriate methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) based on actions:

  - GET: Retrieve data (e.g., /books/123 to get details of a specific book).

  - POST: Create new data (e.g., /tasks to create a new task).

  - PUT: Update existing data (e.g., /users/me to update user information).

  - DELETE: Delete data (e.g., /tasks/123 to delete a task).



### Process Requests and Generate Responses:



- Write code to handle incoming requests:

  - Extract data from request objects (e.g., query parameters, JSON payloads).

  - Perform actions using your data model or logic (e.g., database interactions).

- Return appropriate responses with relevant HTTP status codes (e.g., 200 for success, 404 for not found).



### Error Handling and Validation:



- Implement mechanisms to gracefully handle errors and unexpected situations.

- Validate user input to ensure data integrity.



### Testing:



- Thoroughly test your API to ensure it behaves as expected.

- Use testing frameworks like pytest or unittest or manual testing with tools like Postman (https://www.postman.com/).



### Deployment:



- Choose a deployment method based on your needs:

  - Local development server (for testing).

  - Cloud platforms like Heroku or AWS.

  - Web hosting services.



## Additional Considerations:



- Database Integration: For storing and managing persistent data, connect your API to a database like PostgreSQL, MySQL, or SQLite.

- Security: Secure your API against unauthorized access and vulnerabilities. Implement authentication, authorization, and input validation.

- Documentation: Provide clear documentation for developers using your API, explaining endpoints, request/response formats, and authentication requirements.



## Resources read during the training



- [Flask docs](flask.palletsprojects.com/en/3.0.x/api)

- [XD-DENG/flask-example](https://github.com/XD-DENG/flask-example?tab=readme-ov-file)

- [Deploy a flask app](https://cleavr.io/cleavr-slice/how-to-deploy-python-flask-framework)