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Getting Started with our API

2:22 with Craig Dennis

Let's discuss the project for this course

Prerequisites

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    [MUSIC]

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    Hello and welcome.

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    I'm Craig and I'm a developer.

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    In this workshop we are going to take on task of implementing an SQL back REST API

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    using the Java micro web framework Spark.

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    So I hope you understood that mouthful of words I just spouted out.

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    If not, there's some prerequisites to this workshop that I've listed in

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    the teacher's notes.

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    Now, after reviewing those, we'll be on the same page and

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    talking the same language.

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    As always, there are video controls to slow me way down and speed me up.

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    If I start getting bored.

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    The ability to build a REST API is becoming more and

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    more a required skill that you absolutely need to have in your Java tool bell.

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    Client side framework are taking off and

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    they expect a backend server to do all the heavy lifting.

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    They all almost follow REST out of the box.

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    Mobile applications have exploded and just about every company has or

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    wants a mobile app these days.

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    These apps need to talk to the existing infrastructure and

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    usually they do that using REST.

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    So, what better way to get started exploring building a REST API

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    than using a very straightforward approach to the problem.

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    Spark is once again is going to do this for us.

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    I thought we'd take a chance with this project to also explore using a database

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    implementation and land on a friendly middle ground between raw SQL and

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    an object relational mapper.

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    We'll also explore using a package that allows us to take our model objects and

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    turn them into JSON or JavaScript object Notation.

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    So the project that we're going to be building together is a public facing

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    REST API that will allow people to review online courses.

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    Now there are a ton of online tutorials and we'll be providing a way for

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    people to submit a brand new course.

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    For instance, something like this.

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    A course might be how to beat angry birds.

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    That's what the course looks like.

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    And then after that you can submit reviews for each course.

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    Like a glowing one.

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    Five stars.

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    Loved it.

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    Or one that isn't so great.

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    Obviously, when reviewing tree house courses these are going to be

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    five out of a possible five.

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    But our API is made to exact courses from anywhere.

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    So the client of the API can request a list of courses that have reviews

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    as well as submit a new course and a new review.

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    This aggregating of information is a common use case of software as a service,

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    or SAAS.

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    Sound fun?

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    Let's get this party started.

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