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Fix typos
Thank you guys for your help !
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feugy committed Feb 23, 2013
commit ed701785d553cae4970f848f28429864d6124503
40 changes: 20 additions & 20 deletions _posts/2013-02-12-swagger-jack.markdown
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Expand Up @@ -5,22 +5,22 @@ tags: [swagger, api, validation, nodejs, express, descriptor]
author: feugy
---

Perhaps did you already heard about [Swagger](http://developers.helloreverb.com/swagger/). And if not, I can only beg you to drop an eye on it.
Perhaps did you already heard about [Swagger](http://developers.helloreverb.com/swagger/). And if not, I can only beg you to check it out.

Swagger is a specification and complete framework implementation for describing, producing, consuming, and visualizing RESTful web services.

It provides:
- specification: to write descriptors of your API
- tools: based on this descriptors: friendly GUI for documentation, client libraries...
- specification: how to write descriptors for your API
- tools: based on these descriptors: friendly GUI for documentation, client libraries...

**Swagger-jack** is one of these tools: a couple of [Express](http://expressjs.com/) middelware (the famous [NodeJS](http://nodejs.org/) Web framework) to generate your own API, and take advantage of automated input validation.
**Swagger-jack** is one of these tools: a couple of [Express](http://expressjs.com/) middelwares (the famous [NodeJS](http://nodejs.org/) Web framework) to generate your own API, and take advantage of automated input validation.

You'll find the source code on [github](https://github.com/feugy/swagger-jack), and the project was released on [NPM](https://npmjs.org/package/swagger-jack)

<br/>
## What is swagger

Whether you're building huge information systems or providing a single (but powerfull) REST web service, describing your API will give a better knowledge and therefore usage of your service. And If you can benefit from a well-known standard and its tooling suite... It's icing on the cake.
Whether you're building huge information systems or providing a single (but powerful) REST web service, describing your API will give a better knowledge and therefore usage of your service. And If you can benefit from a well-known standard and its tooling suite... It's icing on the cake.

![swagger-ui example](http://helloreverb.com/img/swagger-hero.png)

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ For a given resource, a detailed descriptor will give a list of **api**.
An api is simply a sub-path associated with a list of **operations**.
An operation is an HTTP verb for this sub-path, a set of awaited parameters and an expected model for the response.

Last of all, the detailed descriptor will embed a list of **models**.
At last, the detailed descriptor will embed a list of **models**.
A model is a formal description of a complex object, that can be used in input parameters and output response body.

{% highlight json %}
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -131,16 +131,16 @@ To sum up, each urls of your REST web service will be grouped within operations
<br/>
## The swagger-jack library: why and how

We heavily use NodeJS in our project, and Express is the community most popular web framework.
It's principle is quite simple: you declare your routes (an urls and an http method) and associate each of them to a function with specific arguments.
Second concepts: middleware.
A middleware is a function that behave like Java's filters: it's invoked for each incoming request and can process to it, enrich it and let other process it, or just ignore it.
We heavily use NodeJS in our project, and Express is the most popular web framework in the community.
It's principle is quite simple: you declare your routes (an URL and an http method) and associate each of them to a function with specific arguments.
Second concept: middleware.
A middleware is a function that behave like Java filters: it's invoked for each incoming request and can process it, enrich it and let other process it, or just ignore it.

We wanted to use swagger on existing web services, and enforce the input validation.
We looked at swagger-node-express the official nodejs plugin provided, but it involved too many code changes, and it does not provide validation.
We had a look to swagger-node-express the official nodejs plugin provided, but it involved too many code changes, and it does not provide validation.
And that's how swagger-jack was born.

It provides three middleware, which you can enable or not.
It provides three middlewares, which you can enable or not.

{% highlight json %}
var express = require('express'),
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ It provides three middleware, which you can enable or not.

Generator takes a general descriptor path (which is totally not constraint: put whatever you need in it), and an array of "resources".

The middleware will automatically register to your express application the routes found inside the descriptor, and bound them to the provided controller (it uses the `nickname` attribute to reach your function). In this example, two routes are created:
The middleware will automatically register in your Express application the routes found in the descriptor, and bind them to the provided controller (it uses the `nickname` attribute to reach your function). In this example, two routes are created:

1. `POST /api/user/` to create a user (controller method `create()`)
2. `GET /api/user/` to list existing users (controller method `list()`)
Expand All @@ -203,8 +203,8 @@ You can still register routes and middleware within your application, but they w
Validator will analyze the declared parameters of your descriptor, and validate the input.
It will handle parameter casting, range validation and declared model compliance (thank to the excellent [json-gate](https://github.com/oferei/json-gate)).

All casted values (except body parameters) are available inside the controller methods with the `req.input` associative array.
No matter if parameter is from path, query or header: it will be present inside `req.input`.
All casted values (except body parameters) are available in the controller methods with the `req.input` associative array.
No matter if a parameter is from path, query or header: it will be present inside `req.input`.

But you can still use the Express original function (beware: values are just strings).

Expand All @@ -215,9 +215,9 @@ If you do not need validation, no problem: just remove the validator middleware.
### Error middleware

Validation errors (and your custom business errors) are handled by the error middleware.
It uses the express's error mecanism: invoke the next() method with an argument.
It uses the Express's error management mechanism: invoke the next() method with an argument.

Weither it's a string or an object, it will be serialized into a json response with an http status (500 by default).
Wether it's a string or an object, it will be serialized into a json response with an http status (500 by default).

For example:

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -274,9 +274,9 @@ Use [js-yaml](http://nodeca.github.com/js-yaml/) to store your descriptor in a s
<br/>
## In conclusion

Swagger-jack enpowered your NodeJS application with Swagger compliant Api descriptor.
Swagger-jack enpowered your NodeJS application with Swagger compliant API descriptor.

It brings you a better lisibility: first you describe things (even in a separate file thanks to js-yaml), then you implement them.
It brings you better lisibility: first you describe things (even in a separate file thanks to js-yaml), then you implement them.

It respects your own code organization: whether to use a huge file or one file per url is your choice.

Expand All @@ -292,4 +292,4 @@ So, have fun with swagger and swagger-jack !
### Addendum: what's with that name ?

We looked for a fun and yet eloquent name. But swagger.js was already used.
[Jack Swagger](http://www.wwe.com/superstars/jackswagger) is an american catch superstar, and we never heard about him before, but it perfectly fits your naming goals :)
[Jack Swagger](http://www.wwe.com/superstars/jackswagger) is an american catch superstar, and we never heard about him before, but it perfectly fits our naming goals :)