socialnetwork

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have met the following requirements:

• Python: Make sure you have Python 3.6 or higher installed. You can download it from python.org.
• PostgreSQL: Install PostgreSQL on your machine. You can find the installation instructions at postgresql.org.
• Docker: If you plan to use Docker, make sure you have Docker and Docker Compose installed. You can download Docker from docker.com.
• Git: Ensure you have Git installed to clone the repository. You can download it from git-scm.com.

Installation Steps

Local Installation (Without Docker)

1. Clone the repository: git clone [repository_url] cd [repository_name]

2. Create a virtual environment and activate it: python -m venv venv source venv/bin/activate # On Windows use: venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install dependencies: pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Set up the PostgreSQL database:

   • Create a database and user in PostgreSQL, and update your Django settings.py with the appropriate credentials.

5. Run migrations: python manage.py migrate

6. Start the development server: python manage.py runserver

Installation Through Docker

1. Clone the repository: git clone [repository_url] cd [repository_name]

2. Build the Docker images: docker-compose build

3. Start the containers: docker-compose up

4. Run migrations inside the Docker container: docker-compose exec web python manage.py migrate

API Documentation

Authentication

• POST /api/signup/

  • Description: Register a new user.
  • Request:

    { "email": "[email protected]" }

  • Response:

    { "message": "User created successfully." }

• POST /api/login/

  • Description: Log in an existing user.
  • Request:

    { "email": "[email protected]", "password": "your_password" }

  • Response:

    { "token": "your_jwt_token" }

User Management

• GET /api/users/
  • Description: Search for users by email or name.
  • Query Parameters: q (search term)
  • Response:

    { "results": [ { "id": 1, "name": "John Doe", "email": "[email protected]" }, ... ] }

Friend Management

• POST /api/send_request/

  • Description: Send a friend request to another user.
  • Request:

    { "recipient_email": "[email protected]" }

  • Response:

    { "message": "Friend request sent." }

• GET /api/pending_requests/

  • Description: View pending friend requests received by the user.
  • Response:

    { "pending_requests": [ { "id": 1, "sender_email": "[email protected]" }, ... ] }

• POST /api/reject_request/

  • Description: Reject a friend request.
  • Request:

    { "request_id": 1 }

  • Response:

    { "message": "Friend request rejected." }

• POST /api/accept_request/

  • Description: Accept a friend request.
  • Request:

    { "request_id": 1 }

  • Response:

    { "message": "Friend request accepted." }

• GET /api/view_friends/

  • Description: View the list of friends.
  • Response:

    { "friends": [ { "id": 1, "name": "John Doe", "email": "[email protected]" }, ... ] }

Block Management

• POST /api/block_user/

  • Description: Block a user, preventing them from sending friend requests or viewing your profile.
  • Request:

    { "user_email": "[email protected]" }

  • Response:

    { "message": "User blocked successfully." }

• POST /api/unblock_user/

  • Description: Unblock a previously blocked user.
  • Request:

    { "user_email": "[email protected]" }

  • Response:

    { "message": "User unblocked successfully." }

• GET /api/blocked_users/

  • Description: View the list of blocked users.
  • Response:

    { "blocked_users": [ { "id": 1, "name": "Blocked User", "email": "[email protected]" }, ... ] }

Design Choices

• Database: PostgreSQL was chosen for its advanced features like full-text search and efficient handling of large datasets.
• Authentication: JWT was implemented for secure and stateless authentication, allowing for easy token refreshing.
• Caching: Redis was used to optimize response times and reduce database load, particularly for frequently accessed data.