thrilltrack-explorer/django-backend/API_GUIDE.md

ThrillWiki REST API Guide

Phase 2B: REST API Development - Complete

This guide provides comprehensive documentation for the ThrillWiki REST API v1.

Overview

The ThrillWiki API provides programmatic access to amusement park, ride, and company data. It uses django-ninja for fast, modern REST API implementation with automatic OpenAPI documentation.

Base URL

• Local Development: http://localhost:8000/api/v1/
• Production: https://your-domain.com/api/v1/

Documentation

• Interactive API Docs: /api/v1/docs
• OpenAPI Schema: /api/v1/openapi.json

Features

Implemented in Phase 2B

✅ Full CRUD Operations for all entities ✅ Filtering & Search on all list endpoints ✅ Pagination (50 items per page) ✅ Geographic Search for parks (dual-mode: SQLite + PostGIS) ✅ Automatic OpenAPI/Swagger Documentation ✅ Pydantic Schema Validation ✅ Related Data (automatic joins and annotations) ✅ Error Handling with detailed error responses

Coming in Phase 2C

• JWT Token Authentication
• Role-based Permissions
• Rate Limiting
• Caching
• Webhooks

Authentication

Current Status: Authentication placeholders are in place, but not yet enforced.

• Read Operations (GET): Public access
• Write Operations (POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE): Will require authentication (JWT tokens)

Endpoints

System Endpoints

Health Check

GET /api/v1/health

Returns API health status.

API Information

GET /api/v1/info

Returns API metadata and statistics.

---

Companies

Companies represent manufacturers, operators, designers, and other entities in the amusement industry.

List Companies

GET /api/v1/companies/

Query Parameters:

• page (int): Page number
• search (string): Search by name or description
• company_type (string): Filter by type (manufacturer, operator, designer, supplier, contractor)
• location_id (UUID): Filter by headquarters location
• ordering (string): Sort field (prefix with - for descending)

Example:

curl "http://localhost:8000/api/v1/companies/?search=B%26M&ordering=-park_count"

Get Company

GET /api/v1/companies/{company_id}

Create Company

POST /api/v1/companies/

Request Body:

{
  "name": "Bolliger & Mabillard",
  "description": "Swiss roller coaster manufacturer",
  "company_types": ["manufacturer"],
  "founded_date": "1988-01-01",
  "website": "https://www.bolliger-mabillard.com"
}

Update Company

PUT /api/v1/companies/{company_id}
PATCH /api/v1/companies/{company_id}

Delete Company

DELETE /api/v1/companies/{company_id}

Get Company Parks

GET /api/v1/companies/{company_id}/parks

Returns all parks operated by the company.

Get Company Rides

GET /api/v1/companies/{company_id}/rides

Returns all rides manufactured by the company.

---

Ride Models

Ride models represent specific ride types from manufacturers.

List Ride Models

GET /api/v1/ride-models/

Query Parameters:

• page (int): Page number
• search (string): Search by model name
• manufacturer_id (UUID): Filter by manufacturer
• model_type (string): Filter by model type
• ordering (string): Sort field

Example:

curl "http://localhost:8000/api/v1/ride-models/?manufacturer_id=<uuid>&model_type=coaster_model"

Get Ride Model

GET /api/v1/ride-models/{model_id}

Create Ride Model

POST /api/v1/ride-models/

Request Body:

{
  "name": "Wing Coaster",
  "manufacturer_id": "uuid-here",
  "model_type": "coaster_model",
  "description": "Winged seating roller coaster",
  "typical_height": 164.0,
  "typical_speed": 55.0
}

Update Ride Model

PUT /api/v1/ride-models/{model_id}
PATCH /api/v1/ride-models/{model_id}

Delete Ride Model

DELETE /api/v1/ride-models/{model_id}

Get Model Installations

GET /api/v1/ride-models/{model_id}/installations

Returns all rides using this model.

---

Parks

Parks represent theme parks, amusement parks, water parks, and FECs.

List Parks

GET /api/v1/parks/

Query Parameters:

• page (int): Page number
• search (string): Search by park name
• park_type (string): Filter by type (theme_park, amusement_park, water_park, family_entertainment_center, traveling_park, zoo, aquarium)
• status (string): Filter by status (operating, closed, sbno, under_construction, planned)
• operator_id (UUID): Filter by operator
• ordering (string): Sort field

Example:

curl "http://localhost:8000/api/v1/parks/?status=operating&park_type=theme_park"

Get Park

GET /api/v1/parks/{park_id}

Find Nearby Parks (Geographic Search)

GET /api/v1/parks/nearby/

Query Parameters:

• latitude (float, required): Center point latitude
• longitude (float, required): Center point longitude
• radius (float): Search radius in kilometers (default: 50)
• limit (int): Maximum results (default: 50)

Geographic Modes:

• PostGIS (Production): Accurate distance-based search using location_point
• SQLite (Local Dev): Bounding box approximation using latitude/longitude

Example:

curl "http://localhost:8000/api/v1/parks/nearby/?latitude=28.385233&longitude=-81.563874&radius=100"

Create Park

POST /api/v1/parks/

Request Body:

{
  "name": "Six Flags Magic Mountain",
  "park_type": "theme_park",
  "status": "operating",
  "latitude": 34.4239,
  "longitude": -118.5971,
  "opening_date": "1971-05-29",
  "website": "https://www.sixflags.com/magicmountain"
}

Update Park

PUT /api/v1/parks/{park_id}
PATCH /api/v1/parks/{park_id}

Delete Park

DELETE /api/v1/parks/{park_id}

Get Park Rides

GET /api/v1/parks/{park_id}/rides

Returns all rides at the park.

---

Rides

Rides represent individual rides and roller coasters.

List Rides

GET /api/v1/rides/

Query Parameters:

• page (int): Page number
• search (string): Search by ride name
• park_id (UUID): Filter by park
• ride_category (string): Filter by category (roller_coaster, flat_ride, water_ride, dark_ride, transport_ride, other)
• status (string): Filter by status
• is_coaster (bool): Filter for roller coasters only
• manufacturer_id (UUID): Filter by manufacturer
• ordering (string): Sort field

Example:

curl "http://localhost:8000/api/v1/rides/?is_coaster=true&status=operating"

List Roller Coasters Only

GET /api/v1/rides/coasters/

Additional Query Parameters:

• min_height (float): Minimum height in feet
• min_speed (float): Minimum speed in mph

Example:

curl "http://localhost:8000/api/v1/rides/coasters/?min_height=200&min_speed=70"

Get Ride

GET /api/v1/rides/{ride_id}

Create Ride

POST /api/v1/rides/

Request Body:

{
  "name": "Steel Vengeance",
  "park_id": "uuid-here",
  "ride_category": "roller_coaster",
  "is_coaster": true,
  "status": "operating",
  "manufacturer_id": "uuid-here",
  "height": 205.0,
  "speed": 74.0,
  "length": 5740.0,
  "inversions": 4,
  "opening_date": "2018-05-05"
}

Update Ride

PUT /api/v1/rides/{ride_id}
PATCH /api/v1/rides/{ride_id}

Delete Ride

DELETE /api/v1/rides/{ride_id}

---

Response Formats

Success Responses

Single Entity

{
  "id": "uuid",
  "name": "Entity Name",
  "created": "2025-01-01T00:00:00Z",
  "modified": "2025-01-01T00:00:00Z",
  ...
}

Paginated List

{
  "items": [...],
  "count": 100,
  "next": "http://api/endpoint/?page=2",
  "previous": null
}

Error Responses

400 Bad Request

{
  "detail": "Invalid input",
  "errors": [
    {
      "field": "name",
      "message": "This field is required"
    }
  ]
}

404 Not Found

{
  "detail": "Entity not found"
}

500 Internal Server Error

{
  "detail": "Internal server error",
  "code": "server_error"
}

---

Data Types

UUID

All entity IDs use UUID format:

"550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000"

Dates

ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD):

"2025-01-01"

Timestamps

ISO 8601 format with timezone:

"2025-01-01T12:00:00Z"

Coordinates

Latitude/Longitude as decimal degrees:

{
  "latitude": 28.385233,
  "longitude": -81.563874
}

---

Testing the API

Using curl

# Get API info
curl http://localhost:8000/api/v1/info

# List companies
curl http://localhost:8000/api/v1/companies/

# Search parks
curl "http://localhost:8000/api/v1/parks/?search=Six+Flags"

# Find nearby parks
curl "http://localhost:8000/api/v1/parks/nearby/?latitude=28.385&longitude=-81.563&radius=50"

Using the Interactive Docs

1. Start the development server:

   cd django
   python manage.py runserver
   

2. Open your browser to:

   http://localhost:8000/api/v1/docs
   

3. Explore and test all endpoints interactively!

---

Geographic Features

SQLite Mode (Local Development)

Uses simple latitude/longitude fields with bounding box approximation:

• Stores coordinates as DecimalField
• Geographic search uses bounding box calculation
• Less accurate but works without PostGIS

PostGIS Mode (Production)

Uses advanced geographic features:

• Stores coordinates as PointField (geography type)
• Accurate distance-based queries
• Supports spatial indexing
• Full GIS capabilities

Switching Between Modes

The API automatically detects the database backend and uses the appropriate method. No code changes needed!

---

Next Steps

Phase 2C: Admin Interface Enhancements

• Enhanced Django admin for all entities
• Bulk operations
• Advanced filtering
• Custom actions

Phase 3: Frontend Integration

• React/Next.js frontend
• Real-time updates
• Interactive maps
• Rich search interface

Phase 4: Advanced Features

• JWT authentication
• API rate limiting
• Caching strategies
• Webhooks
• WebSocket support

---

Support

For issues or questions about the API:

1. Check the interactive documentation at /api/v1/docs
2. Review this guide
3. Check the POSTGIS_SETUP.md for geographic features
4. Refer to the main README.md for project setup

Version History

• v1.0.0 (Phase 2B): Initial REST API implementation
  • Full CRUD for all entities
  • Filtering and search
  • Geographic queries
  • Pagination
  • OpenAPI documentation