README.md

Flask Backend for Plant Identification System

This repository contains the backend code for a plant identification system built with Flask. The backend provides APIs for user management, including creating new users and authenticating them, as well as functionality to fetch and store plant information.

Features

• User registration with username, name, email, and password.
• Passwords are hashed before storage for security.
• Basic user authentication.
• Integration with plant identification services.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8 or higher
• pip (Python package installer)
• Virtualenv (optional, but recommended)

Installation

1. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/your-repository.git
   cd your-repository

2. Create and Activate a Virtual Environment

   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows use `venv\Scripts\activate`

3. Install Dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Set Up the Database

   Make sure you have a PostgreSQL (or other supported) database set up. Update the config.py file with your database configuration. Then, run:

   flask db upgrade

5. Run the Application

   flask run

   The application will start on http://127.0.0.1:5000 by default.

API Endpoints

User Management

Create a New User

Endpoint:

POST /create

Request Body:

{
  "username": "user123",
  "name": "John Doe",
  "email": "[email protected]",
  "password": "yourpassword"
}

Response:

• 201 Created if the user is created successfully.
• 409 Conflict if the username is already taken.

Example Code for User Creation

Here is the code for creating a new user:

# Create a new user
@user_bp.route('/create', methods=['POST'])
def create_user():
    data = request.get_json()
    if db.session.query(db.exists().where(User.username == data['username'])).scalar():
        return jsonify({'message': 'Username taken'}), 409
    new_user = User(username=data['username'], name=data['name'], email=data['email'], password=data['password'])
    db.session.add(new_user)
    db.session.commit()
    return jsonify({'message': 'User created successfully'}), 201

Configuration

Environment Variables

You need to set up the following environment variables:

FLASK_APP=app.py
FLASK_ENV=development
DATABASE_URL=your_database_url

Configuration File

Modify config.py to update the database connection and other settings.

Suggestions

• Error Handling: Ensure comprehensive error handling for edge cases and validation errors.
• Password Hashing: Implement password hashing using werkzeug.security to ensure user passwords are securely stored.
• Logging: Implement logging to track application errors and debug issues effectively.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please submit a pull request or open an issue to suggest improvements.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Acknowledgments

• Flask for the web framework.
• SQLAlchemy for ORM.
• Werkzeug for password hashing.
• PostgreSQL for the database management.