API

See the repository

This service is the BackEnd. It is the brain of the application, responsible for managing user access and actions.

We choose to use JWT (Json Web Token) for the authentification. When the user successfully logs in using their credentials, a JWT will be returned. The returned token is signed using a private secret.

We have chosen to use bcrypt to store passwords. It is a password hashing function based on blowfish cipher. It incorporate a salt to protect against rainbow table attacks. It is resistant to brute-force search attacks even with increasing computation power.

Techonologies

We use Flask web framework, it is a micro framework written in Python. It is classified as a micro framework because it does not require specific tools or libraries. It has no database abstraction layer, form validation, or any other components where pre-existing third-party libraries provide common functions.

However, Flask supports extensions that can add application features as if they were implemented in Flask itself.

Flask documentation

Used Flask Extensions

Note

Here you can find a description of each flask extension we use.

Flask Restx

The official documentation can be found at flask-restx.

Flask-Restx is an extension for Flask that adds support for quickly building REST APIs.

It encourages best practices with minimal setup. Flask-Restx expose a swagger documentation properly.

Flask SQLAlchemy

The official documentation can be found at flask-sqlachemy.

Flask-SQLAlchemy is an extension that adds support for SQLAlchemy to our application. It aims to simplify using SQLAlchemy with Flask.

SQLALchemy is an object relational mapper (ORM), See flask-sqlalchemy documentation to see how to work with the ORM in depth.

Flask Marshmallow

The official documentation can be found at flask-marshmallow.

Flask-Marshmallow is a thin integration layer for Flask and marshmallow (an object serialization/deserialization library).

It also integrates with Flask-SQLAlchemy.

Here a link to the official Marshmallow documentation.

Flask Bcrypt

The official documentation can be found at flask-brcypt.

Flask-Bcrypt is a Flask extension that provides bcrypt hashing utilities for your application.

You will find more information about Bcrypt here

Flask Cors

The official documentation can be found at flask-cors.

Flask cors is a Flask extension for handling Cross Origin Resource Sharing (CORS), making cross-origin AJAX possible.

You will find more information about CORS in Mozilla developer doc.

Flask JWT extended

The official documentation can be found at flask-jwt-extende.

Flask JWT extended is an open source Flask extension that provides JWT support.

You will find more information about JWT in official JWT website.

Api Architecture Schema

Info

We use external services to send mail and to link user accounts, more information here.

Event sourcing

With the objective of improving our recommendation engine, we had the idea to launch only what is needed. And to know what is necessary, it is necessary to have a history of the different actions that have been performed between two launches of a recommendation algorithm. That's why we have implemented the "event sourcing" pattern in our api.

We store media additions, modifications and deletions. And we store the additions and modifications of interactions between content and users.

We have several types of events, but they all have the same basis :

Name	Type	Description
id	Integer	Unique identifier
occured_at	DateTime	date of the event
occured_by	Integer	id or null
object_id	Integer	event is related to this object

A DeletionEvent has the same base, and moreover :

Name	Type	Description
...	...	...
model_name	String	name of the model where the event occured

A ChangedEvent has the same base, and moreover :

Name	Type	Description
...	...	...
model_name	String	name of the model where the event occured
attribute_name	String	name of the attribute of the model
new_value	String	name value for this attribute

A ApplicationAddedEvent has the same base, and moreover :

Name	Type	Description
...	...	...
name	String	app name
size	String
installs	String
type	String
price	String
content_rating	String
last_updated	String
current_version	String
android_version	String
cover	String

Important

All ApplicationAddedEvent, BookAddedEvent, EpisodeAddedEvent, GameAddedEvent, MovieAddedEvent, SerieAddedEvent, TrackAddedEvent, MetaAddedEvent have the same base, plus there own atributes that you can find in Database page.