AutoGradeX Backend

Fastify-based REST API for the AutoGradeX AI-powered grading assistant.

Tech Stack

• Framework: Fastify 4.x
• Database: PostgreSQL 15
• Authentication: JWT (@fastify/jwt)
• AI Integration: OpenAI GPT-4
• Logging: Pino (native to Fastify)

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• PostgreSQL 15+ (installed locally)
• OpenAI API key

Step 1: Install PostgreSQL

Windows:

1. Download from https://www.postgresql.org/download/windows/
2. Run installer, remember the password you set for postgres user
3. Default port: 5432

Mac:

brew install postgresql@15
brew services start postgresql@15

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian):

sudo apt update
sudo apt install postgresql postgresql-contrib
sudo systemctl start postgresql

Step 2: Create Database

Open pgAdmin or use command line:

# Connect to PostgreSQL
psql -U postgres

# Create database
CREATE DATABASE autogradex;

# Exit
\q

Step 3: Configure Environment

# Copy example env file
cp .env.example .env

# Edit .env with your values:
# - DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:YOUR_PASSWORD@localhost:5432/autogradex
# - JWT_SECRET=your-secret-key
# - OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-api-key

Step 4: Install & Run

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run database migrations
npm run migrate

# Start development server
npm run dev

Backend will be running at: http://localhost:3001

API Endpoints

Authentication

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/v1/auth/signup	Register new user
POST	/api/v1/auth/signin	Login
GET	/api/v1/auth/me	Get current user
POST	/api/v1/auth/signout	Logout

Assignments

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/v1/assignments	Create assignment
GET	/api/v1/assignments	List assignments
GET	/api/v1/assignments/:id	Get assignment
PUT	/api/v1/assignments/:id	Update assignment
DELETE	/api/v1/assignments/:id	Delete assignment

Submissions

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/v1/submissions	Submit work
GET	/api/v1/submissions	List submissions
GET	/api/v1/submissions/:id	Get submission

Grades

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/v1/grades	List grades
GET	/api/v1/grades/:id	Get grade
PUT	/api/v1/grades/:id	Override grade (instructor)

Rubrics

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/v1/rubrics	Create rubric
GET	/api/v1/rubrics	List rubrics
GET	/api/v1/rubrics/templates	List templates
GET	/api/v1/rubrics/:id	Get rubric
PUT	/api/v1/rubrics/:id	Update rubric
DELETE	/api/v1/rubrics/:id	Delete rubric
POST	/api/v1/rubrics/:id/duplicate	Duplicate rubric

Batch Operations

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/v1/batch/grade	Grade all pending submissions
GET	/api/v1/batch/status/:assignmentId	Check grading progress

Export

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/v1/export/grades/:assignmentId	Export grades (CSV/JSON)
GET	/api/v1/export/audit	Export audit logs (admin)
GET	/api/v1/export/gdpr/:userId	GDPR data export

Audit

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/v1/audit	Query audit logs
GET	/api/v1/audit/actions	List available actions
GET	/api/v1/audit/resource/:type/:id	Resource audit history

Environment Variables

# Server
PORT=3001
NODE_ENV=development

# Database
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/autogradex
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=5432
DB_NAME=autogradex
DB_USER=postgres
DB_PASSWORD=password

# Security
JWT_SECRET=your-secret-key
CORS_ORIGIN=http://localhost:3000

# OpenAI
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-api-key

# Rate Limiting
RATE_LIMIT_MAX=100
RATE_LIMIT_WINDOW_MS=60000

# File Uploads
MAX_FILE_SIZE=10485760
UPLOAD_DIR=./uploads

Testing

# Run all tests
npm test

# Run with coverage
npm run test:coverage

# Watch mode
npm run test:watch

Project Structure

backend/
├── src/
│   ├── server.js           # Entry point
│   ├── app.js              # Fastify app configuration
│   ├── plugins/
│   │   ├── database.js     # PostgreSQL connection pool
│   │   ├── auth.js         # JWT authentication
│   │   └── error-handler.js
│   ├── routes/
│   │   ├── auth.js
│   │   ├── assignments.js
│   │   ├── submissions.js
│   │   ├── grades.js
│   │   ├── rubrics.js
│   │   ├── users.js
│   │   ├── batch.js
│   │   ├── export.js
│   │   └── audit.js
│   ├── services/
│   │   ├── openai-service.js
│   │   ├── grading-service.js
│   │   ├── audit-service.js
│   │   ├── file-service.js
│   │   └── anonymization.js
│   ├── schemas/
│   │   ├── submission.js
│   │   ├── rubric.js
│   │   ├── grade.js
│   │   └── assignment.js
│   └── db/
│       ├── migrate.js
│       └── migrations/
│           └── 001_init.sql
├── tests/
│   ├── setup.js
│   ├── unit/
│   └── integration/
└── package.json

API Documentation

Swagger UI available at: http://localhost:3001/docs

Performance Targets

• p95 grading latency: < 5 seconds
• Throughput: 1000 grades/hour
• Concurrent users: 500+

Security

• All inputs validated with JSON Schema
• Parameterized queries (SQL injection prevention)
• JWT-based authentication with role-based access
• FERPA/GDPR compliant audit logging
• Rate limiting enabled

License

MIT