Backend API Development

Instructions

When developing backend APIs for the quinipolo project:

1. Structure

   • Controllers handle HTTP requests/responses only
   • Services contain business logic and database operations
   • Routes define endpoint paths and middleware
   • Keep controllers thin, services thick

2. File Organization

   • Controllers: quinipolo-be/controllers/ (PascalCase, e.g., NotificationController.js)
   • Services: quinipolo-be/services/ (PascalCase, e.g., NotificationService.js)
   • Routes: quinipolo-be/routes/ (lowercase, e.g., notifications.js)

3. Code Patterns

   // Controller Pattern
   async functionName(req, res) {
     try {
       const result = await ServiceName.method(params);
       res.status(200).json({ success: true, data: result });
     } catch (error) {
       console.error('Error:', error);
       res.status(500).json({ success: false, error: error.message });
     }
   }
   

4. Error Handling

   • Always wrap async operations in try-catch
   • Return consistent response format: { success: boolean, data/error: any }
   • Log errors to console for debugging
   • Non-blocking: notification failures should not block main operations

5. Integration

   • Register routes in app.js around line 58
   • Use existing authentication middleware where needed
   • Follow RESTful conventions for endpoints

Best Practices

• Use async/await for asynchronous operations
• Validate input parameters
• Return appropriate HTTP status codes (200, 201, 400, 404, 500)
• Keep endpoints focused and single-purpose
• Document complex business logic with comments
• Test endpoints with actual API calls

Examples

Service Method:

async sendPushNotification(tokens, title, body, data) {
  // Business logic here
  return result;
}

Controller Method:

async registerToken(req, res) {
  try {
    const { token, deviceInfo } = req.body;
    await NotificationService.registerDeviceToken(req.user.id, token, deviceInfo);
    res.status(200).json({ success: true });
  } catch (error) {
    res.status(500).json({ success: false, error: error.message });
  }
}

Route Definition:

router.post('/tokens', authenticate, NotificationController.registerToken);
router.get('/', authenticate, NotificationController.getNotifications);