Features

A quick list of the features of this Python API server:

• Simple and flexible server with minimum dependencies
• Process-based request workers, not thread-based nor async
• Secure server-side sessions with Redis storage
• Robust worker management: restarts, timecapping, max life
• Background tasks
• Built-in cron
• Automatic directory page listing the API methods and their docstrings Screenshot
• Redis as a generic storage with expiring keys, lightweight queues
• Email & password authentication with secure algorithms
• User role model and authorization of API methods via simple decorator
• Logging system with practical data for troubleshooting, detects slow requests, warnings&errors colorized
• Server reload on code change
• Database ORM and migrations
• Database init schemas for PostgreSQL and SQLite
• Docker image for the "big cloud" and local development
• Fast rsync deployment of updates to Linux VPS servers
• Tests for the API
• Raspberry compatible
• Simple UI for login/signup/forgot/reset password Screenshot

Source files

The whole of this server fits into a small set of files:

├── /ansible/               # ansible files for automated cloud install
├── /conf/                  # configuration files
│   ├── /caddy.conf         #   config for Caddy www proxy that ansible setups
│   ├── /favicon.ico        #   site icon
│   ├── /loginscript.sh     #   docker shell login script, sets paths
│   ├── /pydaemon.service   #   systemd daemon config
│   ├── /robots.txt         #   deny all from robots
│   ├── /server-config-localdev.json #   main server config for localdev in docker
│   ├── /server-config.json #   main server config, ansible fills and copies to cloud
│   └── /uwsgi.ini          #   uwsgi daemon config, for localdev & server
├── /migrations/            # db migrations - postgresql
│   ├── /001_users.py       #   users table, the foundation
│   └── /002_movies.py      #   movies table, just as an example
├── /migrations_sqlite/     # db migrations - sqlite
│   ├── /001_init.py        #   users table, the foundation
│   └── /002_movies.py      #   movies table, just as an example
├── /py/                    # python modules
│   ├── /account.py         #   account related: passwords, user session
│   ├── /api_account.py     #   API-endpoints for login/signup/logout
│   ├── /api_dev.py         #   API-endpoints for dev/testing/api list
│   ├── /api_movies.py      #   API-endpoints for movies basic crud
│   ├── /bgtasks.py         #   background tasks, 1 sample method
│   ├── /config.py          #   central config for the app
│   ├── /cron.py            #   cron methods: run every min, hourly, daily
│   ├── /db.py              #   database classes and methods
│   ├── /main.py            #   server main
│   ├── /red.py             #   redis: get/set keyvals, lists, atomic
│   ├── /ui_auth.py         #   quick auth pages
│   ├── /util.py            #   misc utility functions
│   └── /webutil.py         #   core web flow: before/after request, auth, role check
├── /scripts/               # scripts
│   └── /dbmigrate.py       #   db migration
├── /templates/             # templates (if you really need them)
│   ├── /auth.html          #   login/signup form
│   └── /example.html       #   very basic jinja2 example
├── /test/                  # test scripts
│   ├── /quick.sh           #   quick adhoc curl example
│   ├── /test_api.py        #   test API methods
│   ├── /test_redis.py      #   test redis module
│   └── /sample.log.txt     #   sample logging output from api test
├── /www/                   # static files for Caddy
├── build.sh                # build Docker image in dev mode
├── Dockerfile              # docker image config
├── requirements.txt        # python 3rd party dependencies
├── rsync.sh                # rsync sources to server and reload (instead of ansible)
├── run.sh                  # run server locally with Docker in dev mode
└── shell.sh                # run interactive shell inside docker instance

So how do you get started with your own project? I suggest to take this route:

• browse briefly the source files, understand their role
• read and throw away 002_movies.py and api_movies.py, they exist only as a sample
• discard cron.py, bgtasks.py if you don't need background processing
• discard templates if you only create an API server
• write your own business logic:
  • create data classes and methods in db.py or db_x.py
  • create API modules in api_x.py
  • create database migrations
  • create tests