Week03 Project03 Server Project

The Amazin’ Quizzer API Backend

Project Overview

Your project is to build the backend for a dynamic web application that combines a quiz generator with data from multiple external APIs. This backend will serve as the foundation for a future full-stack application, showcasing your skills in server-side development, API integration, and data manipulation.

Core Requirements

  1. TypeScript Implementation::

    • The entire backend project must be written in TypeScript.
    • Utilize TypeScript’s static typing for all modules, functions, and API interfaces.
    • Configure the TypeScript compiler (tsconfig.json) for the project’s specific needs.

  2. Server-Side Setup:

    • Initialize a Node.js project using Express.
    • Implement a RESTful API for quiz-related operations and external API interactions.

  3. JSON Endpoints:

    • Create endpoints that fetch data from at least two external APIs and return it in JSON format.
    • Implement endpoints for quiz-related operations (e.g., get questions, submit answers, retrieve results).

  4. Quiz Functionality:

    • Develop server-side logic to:
      • Generate quizzes with randomly selected questions based on a chosen subject area.
      • Process quiz answers and calculate results, including areas of strength and weakness.

  5. Data Management:

    • Use a JSON object in a separate file as a mock database to store quiz questions.
    • Implement CRUD operations for managing quiz questions in this mock database.

  6. External API Integration:

    • Integrate at least two external APIs to enhance the quiz experience or provide additional information related to quiz topics.
    • Implement proper error handling for failed API requests or unavailable data.

Stretch Goals

  • Implement more complex quiz generation algorithms (e.g., adaptive difficulty).
  • Add a favourite count feature for questions and allow filtering by this criterion.
  • Develop more sophisticated results analysis.
  • Implement caching mechanisms for external API calls to improve performance.
  • Create comprehensive API documentation using tools like Swagger.

Project Phases

Initial Spike Stage

  • Set up the basic structure of your Express server.
  • Implement a single endpoint that interacts with one external API.

Core Project Development

  • Develop the full set of RESTful endpoints for quiz operations.
  • Integrate multiple external APIs.
  • Implement the quiz generation and results calculation logic.

API Suggestions

Easier APIs

  1. Open AI API - https://platform.openai.com/
  2. JokeAPI - https://jokeapi.dev/
  3. The Dog API - https://thedogapi.com/
  4. The Cat API - https://thecatapi.com/
  5. Unsplash it - https://unsplash.it/
  6. REST Countries API - https://restcountries.com/
  7. UK Police API - https://data.police.uk/docs/
  8. Postcode Lookup - https://postcodes.io/

More Challenging APIs

  1. Twitter API - https://developer.twitter.com/en/docs/twitter-api
  2. Google Maps API - https://developers.google.com/maps
  3. Spotify API - https://developer.spotify.com/documentation/web-api/
  4. Giphy API - https://developers.giphy.com/docs/api/
  5. GitHub API - https://docs.github.com/en/rest
  6. The Movie DB API - https://developers.themoviedb.org/3/getting-started/introduction
  7. The Guardian API - https://open-platform.theguardian.com/documentation/
  8. News API - https://newsapi.org/docs/endpoints
  9. TfL API - https://api.tfl.gov.uk/

Submission Guidelines

  • Host your code in a Git repository with clear documentation.
  • Deploy your project on GitHub Pages. Feel free to deploy it elsewhere as well if you prefer and have the time.
  • Include a comprehensive README.md file detailing:
    • Project setup instructions
    • API endpoints and their usage
    • External APIs used and their purpose in the project
    • Any stretch goals implemented
  • Ensure your server is deployable, even though a full deployment isn’t required at this stage.

Additional Considerations

  • Design your API with future frontend integration in mind. The frontend part of this project will be added next week.
  • Implement proper error handling and validation for incoming requests and external API responses.
  • Securely store any API keys or sensitive information required by your server.
  • Document your API structure and endpoints thoroughly for future development.

By completing this project, you will demonstrate your ability to create a robust backend application that combines original functionality with external data sources, showcasing your skills in API development, integration, and server-side logic implementation.

Repository naming convention

Please name your repo following this template: PRO03_BACK_Name1_Name2_Name3_Name4