Todo API in TypeScript

A simple RESTful Todo API built with TypeScript and Express. This application provides endpoints for creating, reading, updating, and deleting Todo items. For simplicity, it uses an in-memory store (an array) to keep track of todos.

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Features
• Project Structure
• Tech Stack
• Installation
• Configuration
• Usage
  • API Endpoints
• Development
• Build & Deployment
• Testing
• Troubleshooting
• Contributing
• License

Overview

This project is a minimal Todo API written in a single TypeScript file (app.ts). It uses Express for handling HTTP requests, body-parser for parsing JSON request bodies, and uuid for generating unique identifiers. The API supports full CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on Todo items.

Features

• CRUD Operations: Create, read, update, and delete todo items.
• In-Memory Data Store: Stores todo items in an array for simplicity.
• Type Safety: Written in TypeScript for type safety and improved code quality.
• RESTful API: Follows REST principles with clear endpoints and HTTP status codes.
• Lightweight: Minimal dependencies and setup for quick development.

Project Structure

todo-api/
├── app.ts            # Main application file with the full API implementation
├── package.json      # Project metadata and dependencies
├── tsconfig.json     # TypeScript compiler configuration
└── .gitignore        # Files/folders to ignore in Git

Tech Stack

• Language: TypeScript
• Runtime: Node.js
• Framework: Express
• Libraries: body-parser, uuid
• Build Tool: ts-node (for development) and tsc (for compiling)

Installation

1. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/todo-api.git
   cd todo-api

2. Install Dependencies

   Make sure you have Node.js installed. Then run:

   npm install

Configuration

This project uses default settings and does not require additional configuration. The server runs on port 3000 by default. You can change the port by setting the PORT environment variable.

Usage

Running the Application

For development, you can use ts-node to run the app without compiling:

npm start

This will start the server on http://localhost:3000.

API Endpoints

The following endpoints are available:

• GET /todos
  Retrieve all todo items.
  Response:

  [
    {
      "id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
      "title": "Buy groceries",
      "completed": false
    }
  ]

• GET /todos/:id
  Retrieve a single todo item by its ID.
  Response:

  {
    "id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
    "title": "Buy groceries",
    "completed": false
  }

• POST /todos
  Create a new todo item.
  Request Body:

  {
    "title": "Buy groceries"
  }

  Response:

  {
    "id": "newly-generated-uuid",
    "title": "Buy groceries",
    "completed": false
  }

• PUT /todos/:id
  Update an existing todo item.
  Request Body Example:

  {
    "title": "Buy groceries and cook dinner",
    "completed": true
  }

  Response:

  {
    "id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
    "title": "Buy groceries and cook dinner",
    "completed": true
  }

• DELETE /todos/:id
  Delete a todo item by its ID.
  Response:

  {
    "id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
    "title": "Buy groceries and cook dinner",
    "completed": true
  }

Development

For local development, use ts-node to run the TypeScript application without compiling:

npm start

If you prefer compiling to JavaScript, run:

npm run build

Then execute the compiled JavaScript from the dist folder:

node dist/app.js

Build & Deployment

• Build:
  The command npm run build uses the TypeScript compiler (tsc) to compile the source code into the dist directory.

• Deployment:
  To deploy the app, compile it with npm run build and deploy the contents of the dist folder to your Node.js hosting environment. Ensure that you set the environment variable PORT if you need a custom port.

Testing

You can use tools like Postman or curl to test the API endpoints. Automated testing can be added using frameworks such as Mocha or Jest if required.

Troubleshooting

• Server Not Starting:
  Ensure that all dependencies are installed and that you are running the correct Node.js version.

• Endpoint Not Found:
  Double-check the URL and port number. Ensure the server is running on the expected port.

• TypeScript Errors:
  Review the error messages and adjust your code or tsconfig.json settings accordingly.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! To contribute:

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a feature branch (e.g., git checkout -b feature/my-new-feature).
3. Commit your changes with clear commit messages.
4. Push your branch to your fork and create a pull request.
5. Follow any additional guidelines provided in the repository.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

---

Enjoy using the Todo API, and feel free to extend it with persistent storage, authentication, and more advanced features!