RSS Feed Parser API

This is my approach to creating a REST API that allows users to submit any URL for an RSS feed. It parses the URL to extract links for all articles within it and returns a list of article titles and descriptions in JSON format. The endpoint is protected using JWT authentication.

Requirements

1. Clone the repo:

git clone [repository-url]

2. Install the required packages:

pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Set up Firebase Admin SDK by placing your firebase-sdk.json file in the project directory using Firebase Console:
   • Go to the Firebase Console.
   • Create a new project.
   • Go to Project settings > Service accounts.
   • Click "Generate new private key" and save the file

Running the Application

Start the Flask application:

python app.py

The server will start on http://localhost:5000.

Testing the application (Postman)

You can test the application using a tool like Postman or a browser for GET requests. I used postman, screenshots are given below.

1. Set Request URL and Method:
   • In Postman, set the request method to POST. Enter the URL of your endpoint, e.g., http://127.0.0.1:5000/parse-rss.
2. Add Authorization:
   • Go to the "Authorization" tab. Select "Bearer Token" from the Type dropdown. Paste your JWT token into the "Token" field.
   • Token is generated by running firebase_token_gen.html
3. Set Request Body:
   • Go to the "Body" tab. Select "raw" and choose "JSON" from the dropdown. Enter the request url. For example:

{
  "url": "http://www.theguardian.com/world/usa/rss"
}

Example Urls to test the API:

• "http://www.theguardian.com/world/usa/rss"
• "http://www.cbsnews.com/latest/rss/main"
• "http://www.npr.org/rss/rss.php?id=1003"
• "http://www.npr.org/rss/rss.php?id=1128"
• "http://globalnews.ca/politics/feed/"

API Endpoints

/parse-rss [POST]

• Description: Parses the RSS feed from the given URL.
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer [JWT Token]
• Body:

{
  "url": "[RSS Feed URL]"
}

/show-data [GET]

• Description: Displays the contents of the parsed RSS feeds.

Database Schema

The SQLite database consists of two tables:

1. RSSFeed: Stores the RSS feed URLs and the last parsed time.
2. Article: Stores the articles' titles and descriptions, linked to their respective RSS feeds.

Screenshots

• Using postman returned the following JSON:

• Sample RSS feed result shown as a table in /show-data