Task Management API

A TypeScript-based REST API for managing users and their tasks. Built with Express, Prisma ORM, PostgreSQL, JWT authentication, and Zod validation.

Overview

This project exposes a straightforward task management backend with:

• User registration and login
• JWT-protected routes
• Task creation, retrieval, updates, and deletion
• Query filtering and pagination for tasks
• Postgres-backed persistence via Prisma ORM
• Structured API responses and error handling

Tech Stack

• Node.js
• TypeScript
• Express
• PostgreSQL
• Prisma ORM
• JWT
• bcryptjs
• Zod
• CORS

Project Structure

src/
├── controllers/
│   ├── auth/
│   ├── task/
│   └── user/
├── middleware/
│   ├── auth-check/
│   └── error-handler/
├── routes/
│   ├── auth/
│   ├── task/
│   └── user/
├── validators/
│   ├── env/
│   ├── pagination/
│   ├── task/
│   └── user/
├── prisma/
├── lib/
├── utils/
├── types/
├── index.ts
└── ...

Features

Authentication

• POST /api/v1/auth/register
• POST /api/v1/auth/login

User registration creates a user record and returns a JWT token. Login verifies credentials and returns the same token for protected API access.

User Management

Protected routes requiring Authorization: Bearer <token>:

• GET /api/v1/users/:id
• PATCH /api/v1/users/:id
• DELETE /api/v1/users/:id

Task Management

Protected routes:

• POST /api/v1/tasks
• GET /api/v1/tasks
• GET /api/v1/tasks/:id
• PATCH /api/v1/tasks/:id
• DELETE /api/v1/tasks/:id

Task query filtering supports:

• status — pending, completed, or cancelled
• q — search across task title and description
• sort — created time ordering
• page and limit — pagination

Health and Base Routes

• GET / — API welcome message with available route groups
• GET /health — health check endpoint

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20+
• pnpm
• PostgreSQL database

1) Install dependencies

pnpm install

Deploy to Vercel

The Express application is exported from api/index.ts, which Vercel detects as a Node.js serverless function. Configure the required NODE_ENV, JWT_SECRET, and DATABASE_URL environment variables in the Vercel project settings, then deploy from the repository root.

Database connections are established lazily for API requests and reused while the serverless instance remains warm. The /health endpoint does not require a database connection.

2) Configure environment variables

Copy the example file and update the values:

cp .env.example .env

Example .env:

NODE_ENV=development
PORT=3000
JWT_SECRET=your_super_secure_jwt_secret_at_least_32_chars
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/task_management

The app validates these values at startup. Missing or invalid variables will prevent the server from running.

3) Start the API

pnpm dev

The server will run using the entry point in src/index.ts and listen on the configured port.

Available Scripts

pnpm dev
pnpm build
pnpm start
pnpm run db:emit
pnpm run db:sign
pnpm run db:migrate:plan
pnpm run db:migrate:apply
pnpm run db:migration:status

API Examples

Register a user

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/auth/register \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Jane Doe",
    "email": "jane@example.com",
    "password": "secret123"
  }'

Login

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/auth/login \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "email": "jane@example.com",
    "password": "secret123"
  }'

Create a task

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/tasks \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>" \
  -d '{
    "title": "Write project README",
    "description": "Document the API and setup instructions.",
    "status": "pending"
  }'

Get tasks with filters

curl "http://localhost:3000/api/v1/tasks?status=pending&page=1&limit=10&q=README" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>"

Response Format

The API returns structured JSON responses with consistent fields for success and error states.

Example success response:

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Task created successfully.",
  "data": {
    "id": "task_id",
    "title": "Write project README",
    "description": "Document the API and setup instructions.",
    "status": "pending",
    "userId": "user_id"
  }
}

Example error response:

{
  "success": false,
  "error": {
    "code": "VALIDATION_ERROR",
    "message": "Password must be at least 6 characters long"
  }
}

Notes

• All task and user routes except auth are protected by JWT middleware.
• Passwords are hashed with bcryptjs before being stored.
• The task status enum is limited to pending, completed, and cancelled.
• This project is designed to use PostgreSQL through Prisma ORM and expects a live database connection.

License

This project is currently licensed under MIT License.