For a class on advanced web development, I was tasked with creating a RESTful API for events using NODE.js and Express. All the data is stored in a MySQL database and was formatted using ‘id, name, description, start date, end date’. I also created a homepage that includes the documentation for said API.
I used a tool in VS Code called ‘Postman’ which allows for simple testing of APIs by allowing quick creation and viewing of HTTP requests and their responses. As this project is just a proof of concept and not meant for hosting on the web it lacks any sort of validation but allows any user to view, create, update, or delete any event in the database.
The back end is routed using Express which allows for the triggering of functions based on the URL and method of the request i.e. http://localhost:3000/events would call a function in the server that selects all events in the database.
This project was an interesting one and presented new challenges, I have yet to do much web development that did not involve making websites so the opportunity to create a RESTful API was great. It allowed me to learn more about the use of API’s and the formatting of HTTP requests.