Task Management API

Overview

This is a Django REST framework-based Task Management API that allows user registration, authentication, task management, and user retrieval. It includes token-based authentication, rate limiting, and an AWS Lambda simulation for task completion notifications.

Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

• Python 3.x
• Django 3.x or later
• Django REST Framework
• PostgreSQL or SQLite (default)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone git@github.com:rahulg0/task-management.git
   cd task-management

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. Apply migrations:

   python manage.py migrate

5. Create a superuser:

   python manage.py createsuperuser

6. Run the development server:

   python manage.py runserver

API Endpoints

Authentication

Register a new user

POST /api/register/

Request Body:

{
  "username": "testuser",
  "email": "test@example.com",
  "password": "securepassword"
}

Response:

{
  "message": "Successfully created user.",
  "token": "<authentication_token>"
}

Login

POST /api/login/

Request Body:

{
  "email": "test@example.com",
  "password": "securepassword"
}

Response:

{
  "token": "<authentication_token>",
  "id": 1
}

Users

Get All Users (Admin Only)

GET /api/get-users/

Headers:

Authorization: Token <authentication_token>

Response:

{
  "users": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "username": "testuser",
      "email": "test@example.com"
    }
  ]
}

Tasks

Get Tasks

GET /api/tasks/?status=

Headers:

Authorization: Token <authentication_token>

Response:

{
  "tasks": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "title": "Task 1",
      "status": "pending",
      "assigned_to": 1
    }
  ]
}

Create Task (Admin Only)

POST /api/tasks/

Headers:

Authorization: Token <authentication_token>

Request Body:

{
  "title": "New Task",
  "description": "Task description",
  "assigned_to": 2
}

Response:

{
  "message": "Successfully created task: New Task"
}

Update Task

PUT /api/tasks/{task_id}/

Headers:

Authorization: Token <authentication_token>

Request Body:

{
  "status": "completed"
}

Response:

{
  "message": "Successfully updated task: New Task"
}

Delete Task (Admin Only)

DELETE /api/tasks/{task_id}/

Headers:

Authorization: Token <authentication_token>

Response:

{
  "message": "Task deleted successfully"
}

Design Choices

1. Django Rest Framework (DRF) with Token Authentication

• Provides a structured and scalable approach for API development.
• Token-based authentication ensures secure access.

2. Class-Based Views (CBVs) with APIView

• Enhances maintainability and code reuse.
• Simplifies handling different HTTP methods.

3. Permissions & Authentication

• permissions.IsAuthenticated ensures only authorized users can access certain endpoints.
• permissions.AllowAny allows open access for login and registration.
• TokenAuthentication secures API requests.

4. Task Management Logic

• Superusers can create, assign, and delete tasks.
• Regular users can only update the status of their assigned tasks.
• Query parameters allow task filtering by status.

5. Rate Limiting (Throttling)

• UserRateThrottle prevents API abuse.
• Unit tests validate throttling behavior.

6. Database Indexing for Performance

• status and assigned_to fields in Task model have db_index=True.
• Improves filtering and lookup speed.

7. AWS Lambda Simulation for Task Completion

• Optional feature to simulate a Lambda function call when a task is completed.
• Useful for event-driven processing.

8. User Management & Superuser Privileges

• Users are uniquely identified via email.
• Only superusers can manage tasks and user data.

Running Unit Tests

To run tests for tasks throttling, execute:

python manage.py test

Conclusion

This API balances security, scalability, and maintainability, making it efficient for managing tasks with proper access control.