For this project we created a Music Library API, following a CRUD REST API methodology. The Music Library stores information about artists, albums, and songs. It was one of the major backend projects we completed and included using technologies such as Node.js, Express, Sequelize, Mocha-Chai (for testing our asynchronous code), and well as Postman and MySQL Workbench to interact with out work and view and maniupulate the databases we created. CRUD (create, read, update, delete) operations can be performed on all of the sections (artists, albums, and songs). We also learned about the HTTP method equivalents (POST, GET, PATCH, DELETE) for the CRUD operations we were performing.
- Mocha / Chai
- Node.js
- Express
- JavaScript
- Postman
- MySQL Workbench
- Sequelize
- Databases
- Database Design
- SQL
- MySQL
- Sequelize
- Database Querying and CRUD operations
- Explain what a data schema is
- Represents any structure that we're defining around the data, such as tables and relationships. We defined data schemas for each item (artists, albums, and songs) in their own files and then made the connections between these three items in the index.js file in the models section.
- Design and implement an API with CRUD operations on a database
- This project was focused on creating an API utilizing CRUD (create, read, update, delete) operations. This was accomplished using the HTTP protocol equivalents (POST, GET, PATCH, DELETE). These directions that we created ensured that when the HTTP requests were made the appropriate response would be returned from the API. We used Postman and MySQL Workbench to test and then see that we were getting the appropriate responses.
- API stands for Application Programming Interface and is essentially a messenger that takes a request from the client, tells a system what the client wants to do, and then sends back the appropriate response. It allows one piece of software to talk to another piece of software.
- REST stands for REpresentational State Transfer and is the way in which we interact with the API (via a specific route and a specific type of request). For example, to view all the artists in the database we would send a GET request via the route
/artists.
Fork and clone the repo and then run npm test in the file to ensure all tests pass.
Then run npm start which will fire up the Express app at http://localhost:4000.
Open up Postman and MySQL Workbench in order to check work / requests.
Ensure that your request is set to POST and that you add /artists to your Postman route (e.g., http://localhost:4000/artists).
In the Body section, click raw and ensure the text is set to JSON.
Type in the field:
{
"name": "Tame Impala",
"genre": "Rock"
}
(Or type whatever artists / genres you like!)
Click the Send button and in the section below you will see your results!
Ensure that your request is set to GET and that you add /artists to your Postman route (e.g., http://localhost:4000/artists).
In the Body section click none and then click the Send button. You will see all the results for the artists you have added!
If you want to look at one specific artist and not the entire list add the id of the artist you want to see to your route (e.g., http://localhost:4000/artists/1). To make sure the error message is working but in an id for an artist that you know doesn't exist (e.g., http://localhost:4000/artists/12345). You should get the error message:
'The artist could not be found.'
Ensure that your request is set to PATCH and that you add /artists/:id to your Postman route (e.g., http://localhost:4000/artists/1).
In the Body section make sure the text is set to raw and JSON. Try changing either the name or genre values. For example:
{
"name": "The Flaming Lips"
}
OR
{
"genre": "Pop"
}
In your response body you should see the number 1 - this means that the file has been updated (there has been one change). To see your changes, make another GET request!
Make sure the error for this works by adding an artist route you know doesn't exist (e.g., http://localhost:4000/artists/12345) and you should see the message:
'The artist could not be found.'
Ensure that your request is set to DELETE and that you add /artists/:id to your Postman route (e.g., http://localhost:4000/artists/1).
In the Body section click none and then click the Send button. You will see all the results for the artists you have added!
Do a GET request to make sure that the artist no longer exists: 'The artist could not be found.'
Make sure the error for this works by adding an artist route you know doesn't exist (e.g., http://localhost:4000/artists/12345) and you should see the message:
'The artist could not be found.'
Ensure that your request is set to POST and that you add /artists/:artistId/albums to your Postman route (e.g., http://localhost:4000/artists/1/albums).
In the Body section, click raw and ensure the text is set to JSON.
Type in the field:
{
"name": "InnerSpeak",
"year": "2010"
}
(Or type whatever albums / years you like!)
Click the Send button and in the section below you will see your results!
Ensure that your request is set to GET and that you add /albums to your Postman route (e.g., http://localhost:4000/albums).
In the Body section click none and then click the Send button. You will see all the results for the albums you have added!
If you want to look at one specific album and not the entire list add the id of the album you want to see to your route (e.g., http://localhost:4000/albums/1). To make sure the error message is working put in an id for an album that you know doesn't exist (e.g., http://localhost:4000/albums/12345). You should get the error message:
'The album could not be found.'
Ensure that your request is set to PATCH and that you add /albums/:id to your Postman route (e.g., http://localhost:4000/albums/1).
In the Body section make sure the text is set to raw and JSON. Try changing either the name or year values. For example:
{
"name": "Empty Streets"
}
OR
{
"year": 1983
}
In your response body you should see the number 1 - this means that the file has been updated (there has been one change). To see your changes, make another GET request!
Make sure the error for this works by adding an album route you know doesn't exist (e.g., http://localhost:4000/albums/12345) and you should see the message:
'The album could not be found.'
Ensure that your request is set to DELETE and that you add /albums/:id to your Postman route (e.g., http://localhost:4000/albums/1).
In the Body section click none and then click the Send button. In your response body you should see the number 1 - this means that the file has been updated (there has been one change). To make sure the album no longer exists, make another GET request! You should see:
"The album could not be found."
Make sure the error for this works by adding an album route you know doesn't exist (e.g., http://localhost:4000/albums/12345) and you should see the message:
'The album could not be found.'
Ensure that your request is set to POST and that you add /albums/:albumId/songs to your Postman route (e.g., http://localhost:4000/albums/1/songs).
In the Body section, click raw and ensure the text is set to JSON.
Type in the field:
{
"name": "Solitude is Blss"
}
(Or type whatever song names you like!)
Click the Send button and in the section below you will see your results!
Ensure that your request is set to GET and that you add /songs to your Postman route (e.g., http://localhost:4000/songs).
In the Body section click none and then click the Send button. You will see all the results for the songs you have added!
If you want to look at one specific song and not the entire list add the id of the song you want to see to your route (e.g., http://localhost:4000/songs/1). To make sure the error message is working put in an id for an song that you know doesn't exist (e.g., http://localhost:4000/songs/12345). You should get the error message:
'The song could not be found.'
Ensure that your request is set to PATCH and that you add /songs/:id to your Postman route (e.g., http://localhost:4000/songs/1).
In the Body section make sure the text is set to raw and JSON. Try changing either the name or year values. For example:
{
"artist": 3
}
OR
{
"album": 2
}
OR
{
"name": "Forsooth I be a Song!"
}
In your response body you should see the number 1 - this means that the file has been updated (there has been one change). To see your changes, make another GET request!
Make sure the error for this works by adding a song route you know doesn't exist (e.g., http://localhost:4000/songs/12345) and you should see the message: 'The song could not be found.'
Ensure that your request is set to DELETE and that you add /songs/:id to your Postman route (e.g., http://localhost:4000/songs/1).
In the Body section click none and then click the Send button. In your response body you should see the number 1 - this means that the file has been updated (there has been one change). To make sure the album no longer exists, make another GET request! You should see:
"The song could not be found."
Make sure the error for this works by adding a song route you know doesn't exist (e.g., http://localhost:4000/songs/12345) and you should see the message: 'The song could not be found.'
Thanks to the Manchester Codes team for all the support and knowledge so far: Romy, Andreea, Ian, Tom, Whitney, Ersel, Holly and more.
Thanks for stopping by!