Video Platform API

This project is a simple API for managing a video platform built with Express.js. It allows for uploading, retrieving, and managing videos and their associated comments.

Features

• Video Management: Upload and retrieve videos with associated metadata.
• Comment System: Add and delete comments on videos.
• API Key Security: Secure endpoints with an API key middleware.
• File Upload: Use multer for handling image uploads.
• Static Files: Serve static images and videos.

Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/Martikk/BrainFlix_back
   cd videoplatform

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Create a .env file:

   echo "API_KEY=yourapikey" > .env

4. Run the server:

   npm start

API Documentation

For detailed information on how to use the API, please refer to the API Documentation.

Using the API

1. Register for an API Key:

   To register with the API and get a key, make a GET request to /register. You can do this with your browser, and you only need to do it once. Store the key in a global variable in your website.

   GET https://brainflixback-f347c94ccf8f.herokuapp.com/register

   Example response:

   {
     "api_key": "your_generated_api_key"
   }

2. Include the API Key in Requests:

   For each of your API requests (except for /register), append ?api_key=your_api_key to the URL.

API Endpoints

GET /videos

Retrieve a list of all videos.

GET /videos/:id

Retrieve a specific video by ID.

POST /videos

Upload a new video. This endpoint expects an image file and metadata (title, description).

POST /videos/:id/comments

Add a new comment to a video.

DELETE /videos/:id/comments/:commentId

Delete a comment from a video.

POST /videos/:id/like

Like a video.

Code Explanation

Middleware

• CORS: Enabled to allow cross-origin requests.
• API Key Middleware: Secures the endpoints by checking for a valid API key in the query string or headers.

File Upload

• Multer: Configured to store images in the public/images directory with a unique filename.

Data Management

• readData(): Reads the JSON file (data.json) containing video information.
• writeData(): Writes data to the JSON file.

Routes

• GET /videos: Retrieves and returns all videos, with image and video URLs formatted correctly.
• GET /videos/:id: Retrieves a specific video by ID.
• POST /videos: Handles the upload of a new video, storing metadata and the uploaded image.
• POST /videos/:id/comments: Adds a comment to a specific video.
• DELETE /videos/:id/comments/:commentId: Deletes a specific comment from a video.
• POST /videos/:id/like: Increments the like count of a specific video.

Challenges

• Security: Implementing API key security to protect the endpoints from unauthorized access.
• File Handling: Managing file uploads and ensuring files are stored and retrieved correctly.
• Data Management: Reading from and writing to a JSON file, ensuring data integrity and proper formatting.

Improvements

• Database Integration: Replace the JSON file with a database for better performance and scalability.
• Authentication: Implement user authentication and authorization for more secure and personalized API access.
• Error Handling: Improve error handling and validation to provide more informative responses and handle edge cases.

Contributing

Feel free to open issues or submit pull requests for any improvements or bug fixes.