Snippetbox: A Web App for Sharing Text Snippets

Snippetbox is a web application where users can paste, save, and share text snippets—similar to services like Pastebin or GitHub’s Gists.

Key Features

1. Simple Setup and Configuration
   Set up the project, manage configurations, and control the flow of requests. Learn the basics of web app development, routing, and handling HTTP headers.

2. Database-Driven Responses
   Store and retrieve user data using MySQL, which is integrated into the app to provide persistence and efficient querying.

3. Dynamic HTML Templates
   Create, cache, and display dynamic HTML pages, with robust error handling and custom template functions.

4. Middleware for Security and Logging
   Implement middleware to add security headers, request logging, and panic recovery, enhancing application stability.

5. Advanced Routing and Form Handling
   Utilize clean URLs, process forms, validate user input, and manage session states for a seamless experience.

6. User Authentication and Security
   Includes signup, login, logout, user roles, CSRF protection, and HTTPS configuration.

7. End-to-End Testing
   Comprehensive testing features, including unit, integration, and end-to-end testing for HTTP handlers, forms, and middleware.

Database-Driven Responses

For Snippetbox to store and retrieve user-entered data, we use MySQL as our database. This allows us to save snippets and access them dynamically during runtime. You’ll learn about setting up MySQL, database connection pooling, and crafting efficient SQL queries.

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Application Endpoints

The following routes provide all interactions users need within Snippetbox:

HTTP Method	Route	Description
GET	/static/*filepath	Serves static files (CSS, JS, etc.).
GET	/	Homepage with a list of snippets.
GET	/snippet/view/:id	View a specific snippet.
GET	/user/signup	User signup form.
POST	/user/signup	Submits the signup form.
GET	/user/login	User login form.
POST	/user/login	Submits the login form.
GET	/snippet/create	Snippet creation form (auth required).
POST	/snippet/create	Submits the new snippet (auth required).
POST	/user/logout	Logs the user out.
GET	/ping	Health check route for testing.

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Getting Started

1. Install Dependencies
   Clone the repository, set up the database, and configure your environment settings.

2. Run the App
   Start the app using the main application file, which will load all configured settings and routes.

3. Testing
   Use the /ping endpoint for health checks and explore available testing utilities to ensure everything works as expected.