API Task Manager

A fully functioning REST API for a task management application. Users can register, log in, create projects, add tasks with priorities and due dates, and mark them complete. Built as a backend-only project, tested via Postman and documented with Swagger.

Live URL: https://api-task-manager-production-7780.up.railway.app
API Docs: https://api-task-manager-production-7780.up.railway.app/docs

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Tech Stack

• Runtime: Node.js
• Framework: Express.js
• Database: PostgreSQL
• Query Builder: Knex.js
• Authentication: JWT (access + refresh tokens)
• Validation: Zod
• Testing: Jest + Supertest
• Containerisation: Docker + Docker Compose
• Deployment: Railway
• Documentation: Swagger UI (OpenAPI 3.0)

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Features

• User registration and login with bcrypt password hashing
• JWT-based authentication with short-lived access tokens (15 min) and refresh tokens (7 days)
• Refresh token rotation and logout
• Full CRUD for projects and tasks
• Task priorities (low, medium, high), due dates, and completion toggling
• Ownership enforcement — users can only access their own data
• Input validation on all POST and PATCH routes
• Centralised error handling
• Offset pagination on list endpoints
• Rate limiting on auth routes
• Secure HTTP headers via Helmet
• Integration tests for auth and resource endpoints
• Full Docker Compose setup for local development

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v20+)
• Docker and Docker Compose

Running Locally with Docker

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/your-username/api-task-manager.git
cd api-task-manager

2. Create a .env file in the root of the project (see Environment Variables below)

3. Start the app and database:

docker compose up --build

Migrations run automatically on startup. The API will be available at http://localhost:3000.

Running Locally without Docker

1. Make sure PostgreSQL is running and you have a database created

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Create a .env file (see Environment Variables below)

4. Run migrations:

npx knex migrate:latest

5. Start the server:

npm run dev

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Running Tests

Tests run against a separate test database. Make sure your .env.test file is configured before running.

npm test

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Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the root of the project with the following variables:

Variable	Description	Example
NODE_ENV	Environment name	development
DB_HOST	Database host	localhost
DB_USER	Database user	admin
DB_PASSWORD	Database password	password
DB_NAME	Database name	task_manager
DB_PORT	Database port	5432
JWT_SECRET	Secret key for signing JWTs	your_random_secret

For the test environment, create a .env.test file with the same variables but pointing at your test database (DB_NAME=task_manager_test).

To generate a secure JWT_SECRET:

node -e "console.log(require('crypto').randomBytes(64).toString('hex'))"

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API Endpoints

Auth

Method	Endpoint	Description	Auth Required
POST	/auth/register	Register a new user	No
POST	/auth/login	Log in and receive tokens	No
POST	/auth/refresh	Get a new access token	No
POST	/auth/logout	Invalidate refresh token	No
GET	/auth/me	Get current user	Yes

Projects

Method	Endpoint	Description	Auth Required
POST	/projects	Create a project	Yes
GET	/projects	List all projects	Yes
GET	/projects/:id	Get a single project	Yes
PATCH	/projects/:id	Update a project name	Yes
DELETE	/projects/:id	Delete a project and its tasks	Yes

Tasks

Method	Endpoint	Description	Auth Required
POST	/projects/:projectId/tasks	Create a task	Yes
GET	/projects/:projectId/tasks	List all tasks for a project	Yes
GET	/projects/:projectId/tasks/:id	Get a single task	Yes
PATCH	/projects/:projectId/tasks/:id	Update a task	Yes
DELETE	/projects/:projectId/tasks/:id	Delete a task	Yes
PATCH	/projects/:projectId/tasks/:id/complete	Toggle task completion	Yes

All protected routes require an Authorization header in the format:

Authorization: Bearer <access_token>

Pagination

List endpoints support optional query parameters:

GET /projects?page=1&limit=20
GET /projects/:projectId/tasks?page=1&limit=20

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Project Structure

src/
  app.js              # Express app setup
  server.js           # Server entry point
  db.js               # Knex database connection
  middleware/
    auth.js           # JWT authentication middleware
    errorHandler.js   # Centralised error handler
    limiter.js        # Rate limiter
  routes/
    auth/             # Auth routes (register, login, refresh, logout)
    projects/         # Project CRUD routes
      tasks/          # Task CRUD routes (nested under projects)
  schemas/
    projects.js       # Zod validation schemas for projects
    tasks.js          # Zod validation schemas for tasks
tests/
  setup.js            # Jest setup (migrations before tests)
  auth.test.js        # Auth endpoint integration tests
  projects.test.js    # Project endpoint integration tests
  tasks.test.js       # Task endpoint integration tests