Simple Reddit clone

This project is a simplified version of Reddit, featuring subreddit timelines, user subscriptions, post submissions, upvotes, comments, and user profiles.

Features

1. Subreddit Timeline: Posts are ordered by recency of creation time.
2. User Subscriptions: Users can subscribe to and submit posts to subreddits.
3. Upvotes and Comments: Each post can receive upvotes and comments.
4. User Profile: Displays all the subreddits a user subscribes to and all upvotes they have received.

REST API Design

Subreddit Timeline

Endpoint: GET /subreddits/{subreddit_id}/posts

Description: Retrieve posts from a specific subreddit ordered by the recency of their creation time.

Parameters:

• subreddit_id (required): ID of the subreddit
• limit (optional): Number of posts to retrieve
• offset (optional): Offset for pagination

User Subscription to Subreddits

Endpoint: POST /users/{user_id}/subscriptions

Description: Subscribe a user to a subreddit.

Parameters:

• user_id (required): ID of the user
• subreddit_id (required): ID of the subreddit to subscribe to

Endpoint: DELETE /users/{user_id}/subscriptions/{subreddit_id}

Description: Unsubscribe a user from a subreddit.

Parameters:

• user_id (required): ID of the user
• subreddit_id (required): ID of the subreddit to unsubscribe from

Submit Posts to Subreddits

Endpoint: POST /subreddits/{subreddit_id}/posts

Description: Submit a new post to a subreddit.

Parameters:

• subreddit_id (required): ID of the subreddit
• user_id (required): ID of the user submitting the post
• title (required): Title of the post
• content (required): Content of the post

Upvote Posts

Endpoint: POST /posts/{post_id}/upvote

Description: Upvote a post.

Parameters:

• post_id (required): ID of the post
• user_id (required): ID of the user upvoting the post

Comment on Posts

Endpoint: POST /posts/{post_id}/comments

Description: Add a comment to a post.

Parameters:

• post_id (required): ID of the post
• user_id (required): ID of the user commenting
• content (required): Content of the comment

User Profile

Endpoint: GET /users/{user_id}/profile

Description: Retrieve the user's profile, including subscribed subreddits and received upvotes.

Parameters:

• user_id (required): ID of the user

Database Model

Entities and Relationships

1. User

   • user_id (Primary Key)
   • username
   • email
   • password_hash

2. Subreddit

   • subreddit_id (Primary Key)
   • name
   • description

3. Subscription

   • subscription_id (Primary Key)
   • user_id (Foreign Key to User)
   • subreddit_id (Foreign Key to Subreddit)

4. Post

   • post_id (Primary Key)
   • subreddit_id (Foreign Key to Subreddit)
   • user_id (Foreign Key to User)
   • title
   • content
   • creation_time

5. Upvote

   • upvote_id (Primary Key)
   • user_id (Foreign Key to User)
   • post_id (Foreign Key to Post)

6. Comment

   • comment_id (Primary Key)
   • post_id (Foreign Key to Post)
   • user_id (Foreign Key to User)
   • content
   • creation_time

Potential Issues and Solutions

Performance

Problem: High traffic on popular subreddits can cause delays in loading the timeline due to the large volume of posts.

Solution: Implement caching strategies for frequently accessed subreddits and use pagination (also known as paging) to load posts incrementally.

Security

Problem: Unauthorized access to user data and actions (e.g., upvoting, commenting) due to inadequate authentication and authorization checks.

Solution: Implement robust authentication (e.g., OAuth or FireBase) and authorization mechanisms to ensure users can only perform actions they are permitted to and can only access their own data.

Problem: Unauthorized access to user data and actions (e.g., upvoting, commenting, unauthorized login) due to inadequate authentication and authorization checks.

Solution: Implement robust authentication (e.g., OAuth or FireBase) and authorization mechanisms to ensure users can only perform actions they are permitted to and can only access their own data.