Rails GraphQL Blog Application

A modern Rails API application with GraphQL interface for managing blogs and users. Features JWT authentication, role-based permissions, and a complete blog management system.

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Ruby 3.x
• Rails 8.x
• SQLite3 (default) or PostgreSQL
• Node.js (for GraphiQL interface)

Installation

1. Clone and setup

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd rails-graphql
   bundle install

2. Database setup

   rails db:create
   rails db:migrate
   rails db:seed

3. Start the server

   rails server

4. Access GraphiQL IDE Visit: http://localhost:3000/graphiql

📚 Documentation

Core Documentation

• GraphQL Setup & Usage Guide - Complete guide for GraphQL operations, mutations, and queries
• Roles & Permissions - Detailed documentation of the authentication and authorization system

Key Features

• 🔐 JWT Authentication - Secure token-based authentication
• 👥 Role-Based Access Control - Author and Admin roles with different permissions
• 📝 Blog Management - Create, read, update, and delete blog posts
• 🔍 GraphQL API - Modern GraphQL interface with GraphiQL IDE
• 🛡️ Security - Strong password requirements and permission checks

🏗️ Architecture

Technology Stack

• Backend: Ruby on Rails 8.x (API mode)
• API: GraphQL with graphql-ruby gem
• Authentication: JWT tokens with bcrypt
• Database: SQLite3 (development), configurable for production
• Development Tools: GraphiQL IDE for API exploration

Database Schema

• Users: Authentication and profile information
• Blogs: Blog posts with user associations
• Roles: Author and Admin role system

🔧 Configuration

Environment Variables

# JWT Secret (uses Rails.application.secret_key_base by default)
RAILS_MASTER_KEY=your_master_key_here

Database Configuration

Default: SQLite3 for development Production: Configure in config/database.yml

🧪 Testing

# Run all tests
rails test

# Run specific test files
rails test test/models/user_test.rb
rails test test/models/blog_test.rb

🚀 Deployment

Using Kamal (Recommended)

# Setup deployment configuration
kamal setup

# Deploy application
kamal deploy

Manual Deployment

1. Configure production database
2. Set environment variables
3. Precompile assets (if needed)
4. Run migrations
5. Start application server

📖 API Usage Examples

Authentication

# Sign up
mutation {
  signUpMutation(input: {
    firstName: "John"
    lastName: "Doe"
    email: "john@example.com"
    username: "johndoe"
    password: "MySecure123!"
  }) {
    user { id username }
    token
    errors
  }
}

# Sign in
mutation {
  signInMutation(input: {
    username: "johndoe"
    password: "MySecure123!"
  }) {
    token
    error
    user { id username role }
  }
}

Blog Operations

# Create blog (requires authentication)
mutation {
  blogCreate(input: {
    title: "My First Post"
    description: "Content of the blog post..."
  }) {
    blog {
      id
      title
      description
      userName
    }
  }
}

# Get all blogs (public)
query {
  blogs {
    id
    title
    description
    createdAt
    userName
  }
}

🔐 Security Features

• Password Requirements: 8+ characters with mixed case, numbers, and special characters
• JWT Tokens: 24-hour expiration with secure signing
• Role-Based Permissions: Different access levels for authors and admins
• Input Validation: GraphQL type validation and custom validations
• Secure Headers: Proper authorization header handling

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🆘 Support

• Documentation: Check the linked documentation files above
• Issues: Create an issue in the repository
• GraphiQL: Use the interactive GraphiQL interface for API exploration

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Quick Links:

• GraphQL Operations Guide
• Security & Permissions
• GraphiQL Interface (when server is running)