Flask Backend Template with JWT Authentication

This repository is a Flask backend template designed to kickstart your web application development. It includes essential boilerplate code for setting up a robust authentication system using JWT (JSON Web Tokens). The template features a user model with login and registration endpoints, complete with input validation to ensure data integrity. The project is structured to follow best practices, making it easy to extend and customize according to your needs.

Key Features:

JWT-based authentication
User model with login and registration boilerplate
Validators for each action to ensure secure and reliable operations
Environment configuration through .env file
MySQL database integration

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed on your system:

Python 3.x
MySQL
Git (optional)

Getting Started

Follow the steps below to set up and run the Flask backend.

1. Clone the Repository

Clone this repository to your local machine using git clone --depth 1 git@github.com:AmineDr/flask-backend-template.git or download it as a zip file.

2. Create a Python Virtual Environment

A virtual environment helps to isolate the dependencies required by your project. To create a virtual environment, navigate to your project directory and run:

python3 -m venv venv

This will create a directory named venv in your project folder.

3. Activate the Virtual Environment

Before installing any dependencies, activate the virtual environment. The activation command differs based on your operating system:

For Windows:
```
venv\Scripts\activate
```
For macOS/Linux:
```
source venv/bin/activate
```

Once activated, your terminal will show the name of the environment in the prompt.

4. Install Requirements

With the virtual environment activated, install the required dependencies using pip. These dependencies are listed in the requirements.txt file. Run the following command:

pip install -r requirements.txt

This command will install all the necessary Python packages needed to run the Flask backend.

5. Setup MySQL User

Next, set up a MySQL user and database that the Flask application will use. Follow these steps:

Log in to MySQL as the root user:
```
mysql -u root -p
```
Create a new database:
```
CREATE DATABASE fbt_app_db;
```

Create a new user and grant them privileges on the database:

CREATE USER 'fbt_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'fbt_pass';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON fbt_app_db.* TO 'fbt_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Exit the MySQL shell:
```
EXIT;
```

6. Create `.env` File

The application uses environment variables for configuration, which are stored in a .env file. To set up your environment variables:

Copy the .env.example file to .env:
```
cp .env.example .env
```
Open the .env file in a text editor and modify the variables to suit your setup, especially the database credentials:
```
DB_NAME=fbt_app_db
DB_USER=fbt_user
DB_PASSWORD=fbt_pass
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=3306
```

7. Run the Application

With everything set up, you can now run the Flask application. Use the following command:

python main.py

The application should now be running on http://127.0.0.1:5000/. And you're done! You can now start developing your web application.

Note: The application will automatically create the database tables if they don't exist.

Additional Notes

Ensure your MySQL server is running before starting the Flask application.
If you need to install additional packages, add them to requirements.txt and run pip install -r requirements.txt again.
You can deactivate the virtual environment at any time by running deactivate in the terminal.

AmineDr/flask-backend-template