TheFlix

• Objective

To build the server-side component of a “movies” web application. The web application will provide users with access to information about different movies, directors, and genres. Users will be able to sign up, update their personal information, and create a list of their favorite movies.

• Context

It’s no longer enough for a JavaScript developer to be skilled in frontend development alone. It’s become essential to be able to interface with and even create our own APIs. For this reason, throughout this Achievement, I've created a REST API for an application called “TheFlix” that interacts with a database that stores data on different movies. In this project, I’ll build the client-side component of this application using REACT and Redux. I’ll then have a complete web application (client-side and server-side) built using full-stack JavaScript technologies to showcase in my portfolio.

The project demonstrates my knowledge of full-stack JavaScript development, including APIs, web server, frameworks, databases, business logic, authentication, data security, and more.

The complete tech stack is known as the MERN (MongoDB, Express, React, and Node.js) stack.

The 5 Ws

• Who the immediate users will be (frontend developers) who’ll work on the client-side for the application based on what’s been documented on the server-side (in this case, the developer is also me!). We should also consider the users of the TheFlix application. These will be movie enthusiasts who enjoy reading information about different movies.

• What—The complete server-side of the web application, including the server, business logic, and business layers of the application. It will consist of a well-designed REST API and architected database built using JavaScript, Node.js, Express, and MongoDB. The REST API will be accessed via commonly used HTTP methods like GET, POST, PATCH, etc. Similar methods (CRUD) will be used to retrieve data from your database and store that data in a non-relational way.

• When—Whenever users of TheFlix are interacting with the application, the server-side of the application will be in use, processing their requests and performing operations against the data in the database. These users will be able to use the TheFlix application whenever they like to read information about different movies or update their user information, for instance, their list of “Favorite Movies.”

• Where—The application will be hosted online. The TheFlix application itself is responsive and can therefore be used anywhere and on any device, giving all users the same experience.

• Why—Movie enthusiasts want to be able to access information about different movies, directors, and genres. The server-side of the TheFlix application will ensure they have access to this information, that their requests can be processed, and that all necessary data can be stored.

Design Criteria

User Stories

• As a user, I want to be able to receive information on movies, directors, and genres so that I can learn more about movies I’ve watched or am interested in.
• As a user, I want to be able to create a profile so I can save data about my favorite movies. Feature Requirements The feature requirements below were extracted from the user stories listed above. Your project will only be approved if the following “essential” feature requirements are implemented in your Achievement project. Essential Features
• Return a list of ALL movies to the user
• Return data (description, genre, director, image URL, whether it’s featured or not) about a single movie by title to the user
• Return data about a genre (description) by name/title (e.g., “Thriller”)
• Return data about a director (bio, birth year, death year) by name
• Allow new users to register
• Allow users to update their user info (username, password, email, date of birth)
• Allow users to add a movie to their list of favorites
• Allow users to remove a movie from their list of favorites
• Allow existing users to deregister

Optional Features

• Allow users to see which actors star in which movies
• Allow users to view information about different actors
• Allow users to view more information about different movies, such as the release date and the movie rating
• Allow users to create a “To Watch” list in addition to their “Favorite Movies” list

Technical Requirements

• The API must be a Node.js and Express application.
• The API must use REST architecture, with URL endpoints corresponding to the data operations listed above
• The API must use at least three middleware modules, such as the body-parser package for reading data from requests and morgan for logging.
• The API must use a “package.json” file.
• The database must be built using MongoDB.
• The business logic must be modeled with Mongoose.
• The API must provide movie information in JSON format.
• The JavaScript code must be error-free.
• The API must be tested in Postman.
• The API must include user authentication and authorization code.
• The API must include data validation logic.
• The API must meet data security regulations.
• The API source code must be deployed to a publicly accessible platform like GitHub.
• The API must be deployed to Heroku.

Project Deliverables

• Set up a project directory
• Practice writing Node.js syntax
• Create a “package.json” file
• Import all necessary packages into project directory
• Define project dependencies
• Route HTTP requests for the project using Express
• Define the endpoints for the REST API
• Create a relational (SQL) database for storing movie data using PostgreSQL
• Recreate the relational (SQL) database as a non-relational (NoSQL) database using MongoDB
• Model the business logic using Mongoose
• Implement authentication and authorization into the API using basic HTTP authentication and JWT (token-based) authentication
• Incorporate data validation logic into the API
• Implement data security and storage controls
• Host the project on the web using Heroku

Documentation with JSDoc