REST API implementation in Python

An attempt to understand implmentation of a good REST API using Python.
I have used flask microframework to implement the REST API.

Good practices of REST API

1. Use Nouns in URI
2. Let HTTP Verb define Action
3. Pagination
4. Searching/Filtering
5. API Versioning

API performs CRUD operations on employees, authentication is implemented using JWT.

Setup and launch API

1. Run MySQL database on port 3306.
2. Export environment variables for the API

# Flask entry point
export FLASK_APP=run.py

# Database details
export DB_HOST=localhost
export DB_USER=app_user
export DB_PASSWORD=app@123
export DB_NAME=test

# Environment type
export FLASK_ENV=development

# Secret key for JWT encoding
export SECRET_KEY=abc#123@789

3. Run Setup to create tables basis models

python setup.py

4. Launch the API

flask run

REST API operations

Authentication:

1. Signup -

curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d "@user.json" http://localhost:5000/api/auth/signup

2. Login -

curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d "@user.json" http://localhost:5000/api/auth/login

A sample user request for authentication -

{
    "email_id": "User007@gmail.com",
    "password": "Pass@123"
}

GET operation:

1. Get all employees and traverse with pages -

curl -X GET http://localhost:5000/api/employees
curl -X GET http://localhost:5000/api/employees?page=2

2. Get employees filtered on employee's first_name -

curl -X GET http://localhost:5000/api/employees?first_name=John

3. Get employee based on employee Id (emp_id) -

curl -X GET http://localhost:5000/api/employees/101

POST operation:

Addition of new employee can only be performed by authenticated user by passing JWT token received from login/signup.

curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "x-access-token:eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJleHAiOjE1OTY4NTU2MjUsImlhdCI6MTU5Njg1NTUwNSwic3ViIjozfQ.OiaQtzeGD8vj3LLxqTkaUrYj2VhKTsJSqKtumm9cpZs" -d "@emp.json" http://localhost:5000/api/employees

PUT operation:

Updating of employee details can only be performed by authenticated user by passing JWT token received from login/signup.

curl -X PUT -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "x-access-token:eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJleHAiOjE1OTY4NTU2MjUsImlhdCI6MTU5Njg1NTUwNSwic3ViIjozfQ.OiaQtzeGD8vj3LLxqTkaUrYj2VhKTsJSqKtumm9cpZs" -d "@emp.json" http://localhost:5000/api/employees/101

DELETE operation:

Deletion of an employee can only be performed by authenticated user by passing JWT token received from login/signup.

curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "x-access-token:eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJleHAiOjE1OTY4NTU2MjUsImlhdCI6MTU5Njg1NTUwNSwic3ViIjozfQ.OiaQtzeGD8vj3LLxqTkaUrYj2VhKTsJSqKtumm9cpZs" http://localhost:5000/api/employees/101

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Read more -

1. Good practices of REST API
2. Flask documentation
3. JSON Web Token
4. REST API versioning