sandman 0.5

Automated REST APIs for existing database-driven systems

sandman
=======

|Build Status| |Coverage Status| |Stories in Ready|

Documentation
-------------

`Sandman documentation <https://sandman.readthedocs.org/en/latest/>`__

**sandman** "makes things REST". Have an existing database you'd like to
expose via a REST API? Normally, you'd have to write a ton of
boilerplate code for the ORM you're using, then integrate that into some
web framework.

I don't want to write boilerplate.

Here's what's required to create a RESTful API service from an existing
database using **sandman**:

.. code:: python

from sandman import app, db

app.config['SQLALCHEMY_DATABASE_URI'] = 'sqlite:///chinook'

from sandman.model import register, Model

class Artist(Model):
__tablename__ = 'Artist'

class Album(Model):
__tablename__ = 'Album'

class Playlist(Model):
__tablename__ = 'Playlist'

register((Artist, Album, Playlist))

app.run()

Let's start our new service and make a request. While we're at it, lets
make use of Sandman's awesome filtering capability by specifying a
filter term:

.. code:: zsh

> python runserver.py &
* Running on http://127.0.0.1:5000/

> curl GET "http://localhost:5000/artists?Name=AC/DC"

.. code:: json

...
{
"resources": [
{
"ArtistId": 1,
"Name": "AC/DC",
"links": [
{
"rel": "self",
"uri": "/artists/1"
}
]
}
]
}

All of that, including filtering/searching, is automagically available
from those 10 measly lines of code.

Oh, that's not enough? You also want a Django-style admin interface
built automatically? Fine. Add one more line to the list of models to
get access to this:

.. figure:: /docs/images/admin_tracks_improved.jpg
:alt: improved admin interface screenshot

improved admin interface screenshot
With **sandman**, (almost) zero boilerplate code is required. Your
existing database structure and schema is introspected and your database
tables magically get a RESTful API and admin interface. For each table,
Sandman creates:

- proper endpoints
- support for a configurable set of HTTP verbs

- GET
- POST
- PATCH
- PUT
- DELETE

- responses with appropriate ``rel`` links automatically
- foreign keys in your tables are represented by link
- custom validation by simply defining ``validate_<METHOD>`` methods on
your Model
- explicitly list supported methods for a Model by setting the
``__methods__`` attribute
- customize a Models endpoint by setting the ``__endpoint__`` method
- essentially a HATEOAS-based service sitting in front of your database

*Warning: Sandman is still very much a work in progress. Use it at your
own risk. It's also often changing in backwards incompatible ways.*

Installation
~~~~~~~~~~~~

``pip install sandman``

Quickstart
~~~~~~~~~~

You'll need to create one file with the following contents (which I call
``runserver.py``):

.. code:: python

from sandman.model import register, Model

# Insert Models here
# Register models here
# register((Model1, Model2, Model3))
# or
# register(Model1)
# register(Model2)
# register(Model3)

from sandman import app, db
app.config['SQLALCHEMY_DATABASE_URI'] = '<your database connection string (using SQLAlchemy)>'
app.run()

Then simply run

.. code:: bash

python runserver.py

and try curling your new RESTful API!

Example Application
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Take a look in the ``sandman/test`` directory. The application found
there makes use of the `Chinook <http://chinookdatabase.codeplex.com>`__
sample SQL database.

Coming Soon
~~~~~~~~~~~

- Authentication

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:target: https://travis-ci.org/jeffknupp/sandman
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:target: https://coveralls.io/r/jeffknupp/sandman?branch=develop
.. |Stories in Ready| image:: https://badge.waffle.io/jeffknupp/sandman.png
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