Background
Employers rarely care that you watched a tutorial — they want proof you can ship something real. A tiny API is the fastest way to show you understand HTTP, validation, persistence, and documentation without over-scoping.
Your mission
Design and deploy a minimal REST API that solves one narrow problem for students or early-career job seekers. Examples: bookmark study resources, track internship deadlines, or store interview prep notes. Scope small; polish matters.
Requirements
- 3–4 endpoints covering create, read, update, and/or delete for your core resource.
- Input validation on every write — reject bad payloads with clear 4xx responses and structured error bodies.
- Persistence via Supabase (Postgres) or SQLite — no in-memory-only stores.
- Authentication optional but bonus if you add a simple API key or user-scoped rows.
- README with: problem statement, setup (env vars), endpoint table, and at least three
curl examples.
- Deployed or runnable — local Docker/Railway/Render/Fly acceptable if setup is one-command.
Recommended approach
| Phase | Focus |
|---|
| Day 1 | Pick problem, sketch schema, scaffold routes |
| Day 2 | Validation + error handling + tests for happy path |
| Day 3 | README, demo screenshots/video, deploy |
Use consistent JSON shapes ({ "data": ... } or { "error": { "code", "message" } }). Log request IDs in dev for easier debugging.
Evaluation criteria
- Correctness — endpoints behave as documented; edge cases handled.
- API design — sensible nouns, HTTP verbs, status codes.
- Developer experience — README lets a stranger run it in under 10 minutes.
- Code quality — readable structure; no secrets in repo.
Tips
- One resource type beats five half-built ones.
- Return
404 for missing IDs, not 500.
- If using Supabase, enable RLS or document why it is disabled for this MVP.
Submission checklist
