Building REST APIs with Sweet! CLI: A Practical Tutorial

Introduction: Building APIs with AI Assistance

Building REST APIs involves many repetitive tasks: setting up routes, implementing endpoints, writing tests, and creating documentation. Sweet! CLI can assist with each step, making you more productive while ensuring you understand and control the implementation.

Project Setup

1. Initialize a New Project

Start by creating a new Node.js project with Sweet! CLI's help:

# Create project directory
$ sweet "create directory api-project"

# Initialize package.json
$ sweet "run npm init -y in api-project"

# Install dependencies
$ sweet "run npm install express mongoose dotenv in api-project"

2. Set Up Basic Express Server

Create a basic Express server with Sweet! CLI:

# Create server.js file
$ sweet "write file api-project/server.js with basic Express server"

# The generated file might look like:
const express = require('express');
const app = express();
app.use(express.json());

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
    res.json({ message: 'API is running' });
});

const PORT = process.env.PORT || 3000;
app.listen(PORT, () => {
    console.log(`Server running on port ${PORT}`);
});

Implementing REST Endpoints

1. Create a User Model

# Create models directory and user model
$ sweet "create file api-project/models/User.js with Mongoose schema"

2. Implement CRUD Endpoints

Use Sweet! CLI to help implement each endpoint:

# Create users router
$ sweet "create file api-project/routes/users.js with CRUD endpoints"

# Add routes to server
$ sweet "modify api-project/server.js to import and use users router"

3. Add Error Handling

# Create error handling middleware
$ sweet "add error handling middleware to api-project/server.js"

Testing the API

1. Create Test Files

# Install testing dependencies
$ sweet "run npm install --save-dev jest supertest in api-project"

# Create test file
$ sweet "create file api-project/tests/users.test.js with API tests"

2. Run Tests

# Run the test suite
$ sweet "run npm test in api-project"

# Fix any failing tests
$ sweet "read api-project/tests/users.test.js and fix failing tests"

Documentation and Deployment

1. Create API Documentation

# Create README with API documentation
$ sweet "create file api-project/README.md with API documentation"

# Or generate OpenAPI/Swagger docs
$ sweet "search for how to create OpenAPI documentation for Express"

2. Prepare for Deployment

# Create .env file for configuration
$ sweet "create file api-project/.env.example with environment variables"

# Create Dockerfile
$ sweet "search for Node.js Dockerfile example and create one"

How Sweet! CLI Helps vs. What You Do

It's important to understand the division of labor:

Best Practices for AI-Assisted Development

1. Start with clear requirements: Know what you want to build before asking for help
2. Review all generated code: Understand every line before committing
3. Test thoroughly: Don't assume AI-generated code works perfectly
4. Iterate gradually: Build in small steps, testing each component

Conclusion

Sweet! CLI doesn't build APIs for you—it helps you build them faster and with fewer errors. By handling repetitive tasks, searching for information, and suggesting implementations, it allows you to focus on architecture, business logic, and quality assurance.

Ready to build your next API with AI assistance? Try Sweet! CLI free for 3 days and experience the productivity boost.