ReviewMate REST API

Overview

This project involves designing, implementing, and deploying a RESTful API for a business review site. The API supports full CRUD operations for managing businesses and reviews, with MySQL used for data storage. The API is deployed using a Docker container on a virtual machine created with Google Compute Engine (GCE), a part of Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

Key Features

• Resource Representation with Links:
  All resource representations include complete URLs, making the API more user-friendly and navigable.
• Pagination:
  The API supports paginated results for listing businesses, returning 3 businesses per page, with navigation links to subsequent pages.
• CRUD Operations:
  The API provides comprehensive CRUD functionality for both business and review resources.

Endpoints

1. Create a Business
   The response includes a self URL pointing to the created business.

2. Get a Business
   The response includes a self URL pointing to the requested business.

3. List All Businesses

   • Paginated with 3 businesses per page, each with a self URL.
   • The response includes a next property to navigate to the next page.

4. Edit a Business
   The response includes a self URL pointing to the edited business.

5. Delete a Business
   Removes the specified business from the database.

6. List All Businesses for an Owner
   Not paginated. Each business includes a self URL.

7. Create a Review
   The response includes self and business URLs, linking to the review and the business being reviewed.

8. Get a Review
   The response includes a self URL pointing to the requested review.

9. Edit a Review
   The response includes a self URL pointing to the edited review.

10. Delete a Review
    Removes the specified review from the database.

11. List All Reviews for a User
    Not paginated. Each review includes self and business URLs.

Data Model

• MySQL is used to store data for businesses and reviews.
• Foreign key constraints ensure reviews can only be created for existing businesses.
• Uniqueness constraints ensure a user can submit only one review per business.
• URLs for resources are generated programmatically and are not stored in the database.

Deployment

• Docker is used for containerization, allowing for consistent deployment across environments.
• The application is deployed on a Google Compute Engine (GCE) virtual machine, utilizing GCP infrastructure.
• Environment variables are configured in the Dockerfile to manage database connections and secure Google Cloud credentials.

Testing

• The API is thoroughly tested using Postman collections and automated tests with Newman, ensuring robust error handling and correct implementation of all endpoints.
• The API supports testing both locally and on the deployed GCP instance, with configurable URLs for easy environment switching.