Space API

A simple RESTful API for space exploration data built with Node.js and Express. This project offers endpoints to retrieve information about planets and historical space missions.

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📚 What I Learned

• Project Structure & Modularization: Organized code into routes, controllers, data, and middlewares for separation of concerns.
• Routing with Express: Created multiple HTTP GET routes, including parameterized routes (:id, :type) and query routes (/search?q=).
• Controller Pattern: Moved business logic into controller functions for cleaner route files.
• Mock Data Management: Stored sample data in separate modules (data/planets.js, data/explorations.js) and imported them.
• Middleware Usage: Utilized built-in middleware (express.json()) and custom 404 middleware for handling unknown routes.
• Error Handling: Returned appropriate HTTP status codes (200, 404, 400) and JSON error messages.
• Environment Configuration: Learned to load environment variables with dotenv for flexible configuration (PORT, etc.).
• Version Control Best Practices: Prepared .gitignore, wrote clear commit messages, and documented the project in README.md.

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🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js v14+
• npm

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/space-api.git
cd space-api

# Install dependencies
npm install

Configuration

Create a .env file in the root directory with the following content:

PORT=3000

Running the Server

npm start

Server will start on http://localhost:3000.

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🗂️ Folder Structure

space-api/
├── controllers/       # Route handlers and business logic
├── data/              # Mock data modules
├── middlewares/       # Custom middleware (404 handler, etc.)
├── routes/            # Express route definitions
├── .env               # Environment variables
├── server.js          # Application entry point
└── package.json       # Project metadata and scripts

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📄 API Endpoints

• GET /

  • Welcome message and available endpoints.

• GET /api/planets

  • Retrieve all planets.

• GET /api/planets/:id

  • Retrieve a specific planet by ID.

• GET /api/planets/type/:type

  • Filter planets by type (e.g., Karasal, Gaz Devi).

• GET /api/planets/random

  • Get a random planet.

• GET /api/explorations

  • Retrieve all space missions.

• GET /api/explorations/:id

  • Retrieve a specific mission by ID.

• GET /api/stats

  • Get aggregated statistics about planets and missions.

• GET /api/search?q=keyword

  • Search planets and missions by keyword.

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⚙️ Technologies

• Node.js - JavaScript runtime
• Express.js - Web framework for routing and middleware
• dotenv - Environment variable management

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