student-info-api

Gather information about my students

Step-by-Step Guide to Set Up a Central Server on Netlify

1. Install Netlify CLI:

   • First, install the Netlify CLI to deploy and manage functions from your local machine.

   npm install -g netlify-cli

   • Log in to your Netlify account via the CLI:

   netlify login

2. Set Up Your Project:

   • Create a new directory for your project:

   mkdir student-info-api
   cd student-info-api

   • Initialize a new Netlify site:

   netlify init

3. Set Up Netlify Functions:

   • Create a netlify.toml file in the root directory of your project. This file will configure your Netlify site and functions.

   [build]
     functions = "functions"
   
   [functions]
     node_bundler = "esbuild" 

   • Create a directory named functions for your Netlify functions:

   mkdir functions

4. Create the Python Function:

   • Netlify natively supports JavaScript (Node.js) for functions, but you can run Python using an HTTP server within a function. Here's how you can create a Python function to handle your API requests:

   • Install the python-dotenv package if you want to manage environment variables easily within Python.

   • Create a Python script inside the functions directory named submit_student_info.py:

   from flask import Flask, request, jsonify
   
   app = Flask(__name__)
   
   @app.route('/student-info', methods=['POST'])
   def submit_student_info():
       data = request.get_json()
       if 'name' in data and 'github' in data and 'discord' in data:
           # Here you would normally save the data to a database or file
           # For now, just return the received data
           return jsonify({
               "status": "success",
               "data": data
           }), 200
       else:
           return jsonify({
               "status": "error",
               "message": "Invalid data received"
           }), 400
   
   if __name__ == "__main__":
       app.run(host='0.0.0.0', port=8000)

   • This script sets up a basic Flask app that listens for POST requests to /student-info and expects a JSON payload.

5. Create a Wrapper JavaScript File:

   • Since Netlify functions use Node.js, create a JavaScript file to start the Python script. In the functions directory, create a file named student-info.js:

   const { exec } = require('child_process');
   
   exports.handler = async (event, context) => {
     return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
       exec('python3 functions/submit_student_info.py', (error, stdout, stderr) => {
         if (error) {
           return resolve({
             statusCode: 500,
             body: JSON.stringify({ error: stderr })
           });
         }
         resolve({
           statusCode: 200,
           body: stdout
         });
       });
     });
   };

   • This script uses Node.js to execute the Python script.

6. Deploy to Netlify:

   • Now, deploy your function to Netlify:

   netlify deploy

   • You'll be prompted to select a site to deploy to. Choose your existing Netlify site or create a new one.
   • When asked, choose Functions folder as the directory for Netlify Functions.
   • Select Manual Deploy or Production Deploy as needed.

7. Test Your API Endpoint:

   • After deploying, Netlify will give you a URL for your deployed function, typically something like https://<your-site-name>.netlify.app/.netlify/functions/student-info.
   • You can now test the endpoint using curl, Postman, or any HTTP client by sending a POST request with the required JSON data.