SirZeck / simple-go-server

Simple Go REST API with In-Memory User Cache

Simple Go REST API with In-Memory User Cache

This project is a basic RESTful API built in Go (Golang) for managing user data. It leverages an in-memory cache to efficiently store and retrieve user information.

Features

• CRUD Operations:
  • Create users (POST /user)
  • Read users (GET /user/{id})
  • Delete users (DELETE /user/{id})
  • (Note: Update is not implemented in this example)
• In-Memory Cache: Utilizes a map to store user data for fast access.
• Concurrency Safe: Employs a read-write mutex (sync.RWMutex) to handle concurrent access and prevent race conditions.
• JSON Responses: Communicates with clients using JSON formatted data.
• Basic Error Handling: Includes preliminary checks for invalid requests (e.g., missing ID, malformed JSON).

API Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description	Request Body (JSON)	Response (JSON)
POST	/user	Create a new user	{ "name": "John Doe" }	204 No Content
GET	/user/{id}	Retrieve a user by ID		{ "name": "John Doe" }
DELETE	/user/{id}	Delete a user by ID		204 No Content

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Go (Golang) must be installed on your system.

Installation & Usage

1. Clone: Clone this repository to your local machine.
2. Build: Navigate to the project directory and run go build. This will compile the Go code into an executable.
3. Run: Execute the compiled binary (e.g., ./your-executable-name). The server will start listening on http://localhost:8080.
4. Interact: Use tools like curl, httpie, or Postman to send requests to the API endpoints.

Examples (using curl)

# Create a user
curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"name": "Alice Johnson"}' http://localhost:8080/user

# Get a user (replace {id} with the actual user ID)
curl http://localhost:8080/user/{id} 

# Delete a user
curl -X DELETE http://localhost:8080/user/{id}

Limitations

• Data Volatility: User data is stored only in memory. When the server shuts down, all data is lost.
• Simplified Error Handling: Error responses could be more informative and granular.
• Missing Update: There's no functionality to modify existing user data.

Potential Enhancements

• Persistent Storage: Integrate a database (e.g., SQLite, PostgreSQL) to save user data permanently.
• Update Endpoint: Implement a PUT or PATCH endpoint to allow modifying user details.
• Authentication/Authorization: Add security mechanisms to protect user data.
• Advanced Error Handling: Provide clearer error messages and consider using standard HTTP status codes more comprehensively.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to fork this repository, suggest improvements, and submit pull requests.