This week, I developed and tested a back end for item listings, enabling indexing, showing, and creating listings.

This time, there was no complex application logic, so I split the application into only two layers: one for database access and a thin layer for HTTP. In fact, the application itself is basically just SQL, with basic authentication on top.

To test, I wrote a helper struct to create a test database, then ran some example flows. The tests caught a single error: if query_one fails to find a record, it returns an opaque error type that can’t be matched. To properly return code 404, it’s necessary to use query_opt when querying a record that might not exist.

This week, I wanted to develop a general library for authentication that could create users and sessions. This general library could be used in the authentication service and in client applications for testing purposes. However, I want to refrain from producing such a library until it becomes necessary. Coupling service internals early could lead to difficult maintenance and poor performance.

Next week

Next week, I will continue developing listings. I’ll enable editing and deletion, then add a field for descriptions and location. I also want to implement rental windows, though I still don’t know how to practically organize them.