AI Steps App

This repository contains the final project for ISA, which involves building an API server using FastAPI. The project is designed with modularity and efficiency in mind, leveraging popular libraries and frameworks.

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Project Setup

1. Virtual Environment Setup

It is recommended to use a virtual environment to manage dependencies.

• To create a virtual environment:

  python -m venv venv

• To activate the virtual environment (when in the backend directory):

  venv\Scripts\activate

• To deactivate the virtual environment:

  deactivate

2. Dependency Management

• To install dependencies from requirements.txt (ensure the virtual environment is activated):

  pip install -r requirements.txt

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Running the API Server

1. Navigate to the backend directory:

   cd backend

2. Start the server using Uvicorn:

   uvicorn main:app --reload

The server will run on http://127.0.0.1:8000 by default. Use --host and --port options to customize if needed.

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Required Libraries

Below are the key libraries used in this project along with their purposes:

Library	Purpose
transformers	Access to HuggingFace's pre-trained models and tools.
torch	Required for transformers to function.
fastapi	Web framework for building APIs.
uvicorn	ASGI server for running the FastAPI application.
python-dotenv	For managing environment variables.
mysql-connector-python	MySQL database connection.
requests	To make HTTP requests (e.g., email APIs).
passlib	Manages multiple password hashing algorithms.
bcrypt	For secure password hashing.
python-jose	JSON Web Token (JWT) support for authentication.
cryptography	Provides cryptographic recipes and primitives.
geopy	Geocoding and geographical calculations.
pydantic	Data validation and parsing using Python type hints.

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API Documentation

FastAPI includes Swagger support out of the box, making it easy to view and test API endpoints.

1. Start the server:

   uvicorn main:app --reload

2. Open your browser and go to: http://127.0.0.1:8000/docs

This will display the auto-generated Swagger UI, where you can interact with the API.

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Additional Notes

• Environment Variables: Use .env files to store sensitive information such as database credentials or API keys. Make sure to include .env in your .gitignore file.
• Password Management: passlib and bcrypt are available for hashing and verifying passwords. These libraries may be included as needed.
• JWT Authentication: python-jose is used to handle token-based authentication, providing secure and scalable user authentication.