Notes Management REST API

A backend-focused Notes Management application built using Spring Boot to practice clean REST API design, proper backend architecture, and database integration using JPA and MySQL.

This project is intentionally kept backend-only to focus on how real backend services are designed, structured, and consumed.

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Overview

The application exposes RESTful APIs to manage notes with full CRUD functionality.
It follows a layered architecture (Controller → Service → Repository) and demonstrates how scalable APIs handle data using pagination, sorting, and search.

The goal of this project is not just functionality, but clarity, correctness, and clean design.

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Features

• Create, read, update, and delete notes
• RESTful API design using standard HTTP methods
• Proper HTTP status codes (200, 201, 204, 404)
• Clear separation of concerns (Controller, Service, Repository)
• Database persistence using JPA/Hibernate
• Server-side pagination and sorting
• Search notes by title (case-insensitive)
• DTO-based responses to keep APIs clean and frontend-friendly
• APIs tested using Postman

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Tech Stack

• Java
• Spring Boot
• Spring Data JPA (Hibernate)
• MySQL
• Maven

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Project Structure

src/main/java/com/notesapplication/notesapi
│
├── controller → Handles HTTP requests and responses
├── service → Contains business logic
├── repository → Database access using JPA
├── model → JPA entity classes
├── dto → API response models

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API Endpoints

• Create a note

POST /notes

• Get all notes (paginated)

GET /notes?page=0&size=5

• Get note by ID

GET /notes/{id}

• Update a note

PUT /notes/{id}

• Delete a note

DELETE /notes/{id}

• Search notes by title

GET /notes/search?title=spring&page=0&size=5

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Key Learnings From This Project

• How REST APIs are designed and structured in Spring Boot

• Why controllers should only handle HTTP concerns

• How business logic is separated into service layers

• How JPA abstracts database operations using repositories

• Why server-side pagination is essential for scalability

• How to design clean API responses using DTOs

• Debugging real Spring Boot and JPA issues instead of following tutorials blindly

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Setup Instructions

1. Clone the repository
2. Configure your MySQL database credentials in application.properties
3. Run the application using your IDE or with:

   mvn spring-boot:run
   

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Notes

• Frontend is intentionally excluded to keep the project backend-focused

• This project is meant for learning and demonstrating backend fundamentals

• All features included can be clearly explained in interviews