brendalong / json-server-starter

JSON-SERVER and Faker

https://github.com/typicode/json-server

Get Started

• npm install -g json-server You may also install per project/directory
• create json file

{
  "posts": [
    { "id": 1, "title": "json-server", "author": "typicode" }
  ],
  "comments": [
    { "id": 1, "body": "some comment", "postId": 1 }
  ],
  "profile": { "name": "typicode" }
}

• Start 'Static' server: `json-server myJSON.json
• View site for database and routes
• See docs for more options
• Changes (update, delete, add, patch) are reflected in original json.

Notes

• Use Postman to test calls; be sure to set header json(application/json) for data to be sent successfully.
• Type s in terminal to save a current state of db.
• Follow json-server docs and create a public directory to view your site.
• OR run hs-server to view your site connected to db - same directory.

Generating Fake Data

• npm install faker
• Create JS file to generate the data

// customers.js

var faker = require('faker')

function generateCustomers () {
  var customers = []

  for (var id = 0; id < 50; id++) {
    var firstName = faker.name.firstName()
    var lastName = faker.name.firstName()
    var phoneNumber = faker.phone.phoneNumberFormat()

    customers.push({
      "id": id,
      "first_name": firstName,
      "last_name": lastName,
      "phone": phoneNumber
    })
  }

  return { "customers": customers }
}

// json-server requires that you export
// a function which generates the data set
module.exports = generateCustomers

• Now tell json-server to use customers.js as the data source json-server customers.js
• s your data to have a static re-usable file.

Faker js Notes

• Stop and start server will re-load the customers.js (start from scratch)
• Optional: save data to json and restart server with new json file.

Resouces for faker data

• https://coligo.io/create-mock-rest-api-with-json-server/
• https://scotch.io/tutorials/json-server-as-a-fake-rest-api-in-frontend-development

Files included:

• main.js simple calls to modify data
• post.json example from json-server docs
• customers.js - using faker to create data
• customers.js - create users on the fly