Theme4 - API-First Backend Developer
📡 50-Day Python API-First Backend Developer Challenge
Focus:
Building APIs, Designing API contracts, Mock Servers, API Versioning, Async + FastAPI + Databases, OpenAPI/Swagger, Testing APIs, and SDK building — just like API-first startups like Stripe, Twilio, etc.
⚡ Phase 1: API Fundamentals and Python Prep (Day 1–10)
Day 1: Set up Python, VSCode, Postman/Insomnia.
Day 2: Learn about REST APIs (Resources, CRUD, Idempotency).
Day 3: HTTP Methods Deep Dive (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE).
Day 4: HTTP Status Codes (200, 201, 204, 400, 401, 403, 404, 500).
Day 5: Python Requests Library — call public APIs (like Joke API, Cat API).
Day 6: JSON Basics (dictionaries, serialization).
Day 7: API Authentication: API Key, Basic Auth.
Day 8: Python Exception Handling for API failures (Timeout, 404, 500).
Day 9: Create a simple API Client in Python (wrap external API).
Day 10: Write first OpenAPI 3.0 spec manually (YAML/Swagger editor).
🚀 Phase 2: FastAPI Async Core (Day 11–20)
Day 11: Install FastAPI + Uvicorn, First Hello API.
Day 12: Path Parameters, Query Parameters.
Day 13: Request Body with Pydantic Models.
Day 14: Response Models, Validation, Typing.
Day 15: CRUD API Skeleton (Books API).
Day 16: Async/Await Pattern in FastAPI.
Day 17: API Documentation Auto-generation (Swagger UI + Redoc).
Day 18: Custom OpenAPI Metadata (Title, Version, Description, Tags).
Day 19: Version your APIs (v1, v2 endpoints).
Day 20: Create Mock Server with Mockoon or WireMock.
🗄️ Phase 3: Database + Real Backend APIs (Day 21–35)
Day 21: PostgreSQL Setup (Docker or Local).
Day 22: Create Tables manually + Insert sample records.
Day 23: SQLAlchemy ORM Basics (sync).
Day 24: Move to Async SQLAlchemy ORM.
Day 25: Dependency Injection: DB Sessions per request.
Day 26: CRUD APIs connected to Postgres (Create, Read, Update, Delete Books).
Day 27: Error Handling and Response Codes.
Day 28: Custom Exceptions (
HTTPException, custom handlers).Day 29: Pagination, Filtering, Sorting APIs.
Day 30: Search API: Full-text search.
Day 31: JWT Authentication (Login, Register APIs).
Day 32: Role-based Authorization (User, Admin).
Day 33: Upload Files via FastAPI (images, CSVs).
Day 34: Streaming Large File Downloads (stream_response).
Day 35: Build a simple Notification API (email simulator).
🧪 Phase 4: Testing and SDK Creation (Day 36–45)
Day 36: Install
pytest,httpxfor async testing.Day 37: Write Unit Tests for APIs.
Day 38: Write Integration Tests (API + DB).
Day 39: Mock Database for FastAPI Testing.
Day 40: Contract Testing (ensure request/response matches OpenAPI).
Day 41: Generate API Client SDK from OpenAPI spec (use
openapi-python-client).Day 42: Improve SDK (wrappers, retry logic).
Day 43: Publish your SDK to PyPI (test version).
Day 44: Create a Public Postman Collection for your API.
Day 45: API Monitoring with Postman Monitors or Assertible.
🚀 Phase 5: Real-World Launch (Day 46–50)
Day 46: Dockerize your FastAPI app + Postgres.
Day 47: Setup CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing).
Day 48: Deploy FastAPI app to Railway / Render / Fly.io.
Day 49: Write API Changelog + Deprecation Notes (real API lifecycle simulation).
Day 50: Final Capstone Project:
Build and launch a public "Books API" (fully documented)
Deploy SDK + API Documentation + OpenAPI Spec online
Share on GitHub + LinkedIn!
🎯 Tech Stack Focus
FastAPI (Async Mode)
PostgreSQL
SQLAlchemy ORM
Docker
OpenAPI 3.0
Swagger / Redoc / Postman
SDK Client Generation
JWT Auth
Automated Testing (
pytest,httpx)
✅ Outcome: At the end, you won't just build APIs. You'll build enterprise-grade, beautifully documented, client-friendly APIs — just like Stripe, Twilio, Shopify, SendGrid etc do! 🚀
Would you also want a "5 Real API Projects" 📦 list for this API-First theme? (Example: Build Payment API, Image API, Notification API, etc.) I can prepare it in the same flow if you want! 🎯🚀
Would you like that too? 🌟 (If yes, I'll immediately send it!)
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