personal-api

Overview

This project is a minimal REST API built as part of a DevOps task. It demonstrates how to create, deploy, and manage a simple backend service using Python (Flask), served with Gunicorn, and exposed publicly via an Nginx reverse proxy.

The API contains three endpoints and is deployed on a VPS with persistent uptime.

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Tech Stack

• Python (Flask)
• Gunicorn (WSGI server)
• Nginx (reverse proxy)
• Linux (Ubuntu server)

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Running Locally

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/Hacker-Dark/personal-api.git
cd personal-api

2. Create virtual environment

python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

3. Install dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Run the app

python app.py

App runs on:

http://localhost:5000

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API Endpoints

1. GET /

Response:

{
  "message": "API is running"
}

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2. GET /health

Response:

{
  "message": "healthy"
}

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3. GET /me

Response:

{
  "name": "Mordecai Amehson",
  "email": "amehsonmordecai07@gmail.com",
  "github": "https://github.com/Hacker-Dark"
}

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Deployment

• Application runs on a private port (5000) using Gunicorn
• Nginx is configured as a reverse proxy to expose the API on port 80
• Service is managed using systemd to ensure it stays running automatically

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Live URL

http://YOUR_SERVER_IP/

(Replace with your actual server IP)

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Notes

• All endpoints return:

  • HTTP Status Code: 200
  • Content-Type: application/json

• Response time is under 500ms

• The service runs persistently without manual restarts

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Extra

• Use systemctl status personal-api to debug if API fails
• Use sudo nginx -t before restarting nginx to avoid config errors
• If port 80 fails, check firewall: sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'