Blog API

A simple Blog Application API built with Django REST Framework, featuring JWT authentication, blog posts, comments, and likes functionality.

Live Demo

Live Server: https://blog-interview.sydeestack.com/

API Documentation: https://blog-interview.sydeestack.com/api/docs/

The default page displays the Swagger documentation interface.

Tech Stack

• Backend: Django 5.2.6, Django REST Framework 3.16.1
• Database: MySQL
• Authentication: JWT (djangorestframework-simplejwt)
• API Documentation: drf-spectacular (OpenAPI/Swagger)
• Image Upload: Pillow
• Environment Management: python-decouple
• Production Server: Gunicorn
• Containerization: Docker
• Deployment: Railway (with Git webhooks)

Features

Authentication

• User signup and login with email
• JWT token-based authentication
• Password reset with OTP via email
• Email-based user management

Blog Posts

• Create, read, update, delete blog posts
• Image upload for cover photos
• Like/unlike posts
• View users who liked a post
• Pagination support

Comments

• Create, update, delete comments on posts
• Like/unlike comments
• View users who liked a comment
• Comment validation and moderation

API Features

• RESTful API design
• Comprehensive API documentation (Swagger/OpenAPI)
• API versioning support
• CORS configuration
• Input validation and error handling
• Production-ready Docker setup

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11+
• MySQL database
• Docker (optional)
• SMTP credentials for email functionality

Quick Start

Option 1: Local Development

1. Clone the repository

   git clone <git_url>
   cd django-rest-blog-api

2. Create and activate virtual environment

   # Windows
   python -m venv venv
   venv\Scripts\activate
   
   # macOS/Linux
   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate

3. Install dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Environment setup

   cp .env.example .env

   Fill in the required environment variables in .env:

   SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key
   DEBUG=True
   DB_NAME=your-database-name
   DB_USER=your-database-user
   DB_PASSWORD=your-database-password
   DB_HOST=localhost
   DB_PORT=3306
   EMAIL_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
   EMAIL_PORT=587
   EMAIL_HOST_USER=[email protected]
   EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD=your-app-password
   DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL=[email protected]
   ALLOWED_HOSTS=localhost,127.0.0.1

5. Run migrations

   python manage.py migrate

6. Start development server

   python manage.py runserver

   The API will be available at http://localhost:8000/

Option 2: Docker

1. Ensure Docker is installed

2. Build the Docker image

   docker build -t blog-api .

3. Create environment file

   cp .env.example .env

   Fill in your database and SMTP credentials in .env

4. Run the container

   docker run -d -p 8000:80 --env-file .env blog-api

5. Access the application

   • API: http://localhost:8000/
   • Swagger Docs: http://localhost:8000/api/docs/

API Documentation

Authentication Endpoints

• POST /api/v1/auth/signup/ - User registration
• POST /api/v1/auth/login/ - User login
• POST /api/v1/auth/token/refresh/ - Refresh JWT token
• POST /api/v1/auth/password-reset/ - Request password reset OTP
• POST /api/v1/auth/password-confirm/ - Confirm password reset

Posts Endpoints

• GET /api/v1/posts/ - List all posts (paginated)
• POST /api/v1/posts/ - Create a new post
• GET /api/v1/posts/{id}/ - Get post details
• PUT /api/v1/posts/{id}/ - Update post
• DELETE /api/v1/posts/{id}/ - Delete post
• POST /api/v1/posts/{id}/like/ - Like/unlike post
• GET /api/v1/posts/{id}/likes/ - Get post likes

Comments Endpoints

• GET /api/v1/comments/ - List comments (with post filter)
• POST /api/v1/comments/ - Create a new comment
• PUT /api/v1/comments/{id}/ - Update comment
• DELETE /api/v1/comments/{id}/ - Delete comment
• POST /api/v1/comments/{id}/like/ - Like/unlike comment
• GET /api/v1/comments/{id}/likes/ - Get comment likes

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Required	Default
SECRET_KEY	Django secret key	Yes	-
DEBUG	Debug mode	No	True
DB_NAME	MySQL database name	Yes	-
DB_USER	MySQL username	Yes	-
DB_PASSWORD	MySQL password	Yes	-
DB_HOST	MySQL host	No	localhost
DB_PORT	MySQL port	No	3306
EMAIL_HOST	SMTP host	No	smtp.gmail.com
EMAIL_PORT	SMTP port	No	587
EMAIL_HOST_USER	SMTP username	Yes	-
EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD	SMTP password	Yes	-
DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL	From email address	No	[email protected]
ALLOWED_HOSTS	Comma-separated allowed hosts	No	localhost,127.0.0.1
API_VERSION	API version	No	v1
OTP_EXPIRY_MINUTES	OTP expiry time	No	10

Project Structure

django-rest-blog-api/
├── authentication/          # User authentication app
│   ├── models.py           # Custom User model, PasswordResetOTP
│   ├── serializers.py      # Auth serializers
│   ├── views.py            # Auth API views
│   ├── urls.py             # Auth URL patterns
│   ├── backends.py         # Email authentication backend
│   └── utils.py            # Email utilities
├── posts/                  # Blog posts app
│   ├── models.py           # Post model
│   ├── serializers.py      # Post serializers
│   ├── views.py            # Post API views
│   └── urls.py             # Post URL patterns
├── comments/               # Comments app
│   ├── models.py           # Comment model
│   ├── serializers.py      # Comment serializers
│   ├── views.py            # Comment API views
│   └── urls.py             # Comment URL patterns
├── blog/                   # Main project
│   ├── settings.py         # Django settings
│   ├── urls.py             # Main URL configuration
│   └── wsgi.py             # WSGI configuration
├── media/                  # Uploaded files
├── requirements.txt        # Python dependencies
├── Dockerfile             # Docker configuration
├── docker-compose.yml     # Docker Compose setup
├── start.sh               # Production startup script
└── .env.example           # Environment variables template

Deployment

The application is deployed on Railway with automatic deployment via Git webhooks:

1. Push to main branch triggers automatic deployment
2. Environment variables are configured in Railway dashboard
3. Database is hosted on Railway MySQL
4. Static files are served by Gunicorn
5. Health checks monitor application status

Testing

The API includes comprehensive validation and error handling:

• Input validation on all endpoints
• Proper HTTP status codes
• Detailed error messages
• JWT token validation
• Permission-based access control

API Features

• JWT Authentication: Secure token-based authentication
• Email-based Login: Users login with email instead of username
• Password Reset: OTP-based password reset via email
• Image Upload: Support for post cover photos
• Like System: Like/unlike posts and comments
• Pagination: Efficient data loading with pagination
• API Documentation: Interactive Swagger/OpenAPI documentation
• CORS Support: Cross-origin resource sharing configuration
• Production Ready: Docker containerization with Gunicorn

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly
5. Submit a pull request

License

This project is part of a technical interview assessment.

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Live Demo: https://blog-interview.sydeestack.com/
API Documentation: https://blog-interview.sydeestack.com/api/docs/