API in Rails

readme.md

API in Rails

(Cheatsheet with no coding or local installations needed in approximately 15 minutes)

##Intro

Here are some instructions to build and deploy a RESTful JSON API. Backed by Rails and a SQL database (postgresql), deployed to heroku, and publically accessible. There are 3 quick & easy steps:

1. use prelang.com to scaffold a rails app on your github account, based on a data model (entity relationship model) of your choice
2. use cloud9.io to access the code and prepare it to be deployed to Heroku.
3. Heroku: a platform as a service (PaaS) that enables developers to build, run, and operate applications entirely in the cloud.

1. prelang.com

Prelang is an automated rails building tool

1. Go to prelang.com and Sign-in w/GitHub
2. Create New Project
3. Name
4. Select DB: PostgreSQL
   (PostgreSQL REQUIRED, 5432)
5. Add Feature
   ◊ Add Scaffolding (Future "Ambitious" use P3: Demo Video; RAILS. Add 'User Login', without code. Uses GUI in "Models")
   NOTE: 'Scaffolding' is fine for practice/learning, bad practice when charging users.
6. Add Model
   'Post'
   ◊ String: title (100s char limit)
   ◊ Text: description (166 char limit)
   ◊ URL: link
   (Future "Ambitious" use: Add Comment; Text: commentBody, BelongsTo: Post > Post>>HasMany: Comment)
   ◊ Scaffold: ON
7. Generate Project
   Auto-pushes to GitHub (URL) and creates a repo for you.

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2. c9.io

Cloud 9 is a hosted development environment with all the tools you need to work on a Rails project, so that you need not install Ruby/Rails on your local machine.

1. Go to Cloud 9, log in.
2. Create a new workspace
3. Workspace name:
   ◊ Name: ________
   ◊ Description: ________
   ◊ Clone from Git (Use the github url that prelang generated.)
4. Template: Rails
   ◊ Create workspace (You should now see your Rails project code.)
5. Navigate to app/controllers
   ◊ application_controller.rb
   ◊ Change~ :exception > :null_session (Default: Ln4)
   ◊ Ctrl + S (There is no Auto-save)
6. Open TERMINAL:
   $ git add -A
   $ git commit -m "Makes: available with null_session"
   $ git push origin master
   AUTH: User Id & Pass (Unless SSH configured)

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###3. heroku.com

Heroku will host our newly created Rails app live on the web so that we can interact with it. It will also give us a PostgreSQL database.

1. Go to heroku and log in
2. Create a new app in the heroku GUI.
   Make a note of the app name (referred to later as instancename)
3. TERMINAL (in Cloud 9)
   ◊ heroku login
   AUTH: User Id & Pass
   $ heroku git: remote -a instancename
   $ git remote -v (recheck git)
   $ git push heroku master
   *Installs Gems… Ignore 'WARNING'*s (Ruby being fussy)
   $ git remote -v (you should now see a new remote for heroku)
   $ bundle install
   $ heroku run rake db:migrate
   Like gradle for Rails; executes SQL commands

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That's it! You should have a working API deployed to the web.

You can now navigate to: instancename.heroku.com/modelname

Or just use this as an API

In addition you will be able to interact with this DB through your web browser:

1. BROWSER:
   instancename.heroku.com/modelname (plural)
2. Editing Post
   ◊ Title
   ◊ Description
   ◊ Link
3. Create Post
   instancename.heroku.com/posts.json
   Displays full RESTful json.
4. TERMINAL:
   $ rake routes
5. POSTMAN
   ◊ POST instancename.herokuapp.com/posts.json
   ◊ Body
   ◊ raw
   ◊ JSON (application/json)
   { "title" : "test"
   "description : " testing",
   "link" : "insert_valid_link_post"
   }
6. GET instancename.herokuapp.com/posts/2.json
   Returns json

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