Task Manager API

A RESTful API for task management built with Express and PostgreSQL. Features JWT authentication, role-based access control, and comprehensive test coverage.

November 12, 2023

Node.jsExpressPostgreSQLJWTJest

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Overview

A production-ready REST API for managing tasks and projects, built as a backend service that can power any task management frontend. Designed with security and scalability in mind.

Key Features

CRUD Operations: Full create, read, update, and delete for tasks and projects
Authentication: JWT-based auth with refresh tokens
Authorization: Role-based access control (admin, manager, member)
Filtering & Pagination: Query tasks by status, assignee, due date, and priority
Audit Logging: Track all changes with timestamps and user attribution

Technical Details

Built with Express.js and PostgreSQL using Knex.js for query building and migrations. The API follows REST conventions and includes input validation with Zod, rate limiting, and CORS configuration.

Testing

Unit tests for all service layer functions
Integration tests for API endpoints
94% code coverage with Jest
CI/CD pipeline running tests on every push

Lessons Learned

Designing a clean API required careful thought about resource naming, pagination strategies, and error response formats. Implementing refresh token rotation was particularly tricky to get right securely.