Song List API: Managing User & Team Playlists

Aug 28, 2025 by RICHARD 46 views

Creating Song Lists: An API for Managing User and Team Playlists

Hey music lovers! Let's dive into the exciting world of creating song lists with an API, focusing on how users and teams can manage their playlists. We'll explore the architecture, API endpoints, and considerations for building a robust and user-friendly song list management system. Get ready to build your own personalized music paradise!

The Foundation: Understanding the Core Concepts

Personal vs. Team Playlists

First off, we've got two types of song lists: personal and team playlists.
- Each user can create up to 3 personal song lists, offering a space for individual musical tastes. Think of it as your own curated collection, ready to jam whenever you are.
- Teams also get in on the action, with each team having its own set of 3 song lists. These playlists are perfect for shared musical experiences and team-building through tunes. Maybe to listen to music while working.

Data Storage: JSON Files

We're going to store the song lists as JSON files. This makes it super easy to work with the data and handle the file structure.
- The format will be something like this:
```
{
"1": [{"id": 234, "title": "I surrender"}, {"id": 54, "title": "Welcome to the Jungle"}, ... ],
"2": [{"id": 66, "title": "zorbas the greek"}, ... ],
"3": [...]
}
```
- Each list is identified by a unique ID (1, 2, or 3). The songs within each list are represented as an array of dictionaries, with each dictionary containing the "id" and "title" of a song.
- For simplicity, this example assumes the song list ID is a number. In a real application, this would be the primary key of the song list.

File Organization

To keep things organized, we'll store these JSON files in a folder called backend/monolith/songlists/. We can implement this design with a very simple directory structure.
- Personal song lists will be named songlist-user-<user_id>.json.
- Team song lists will be named songlist-team-<team_name>.json.
- This makes it easy to locate and manage the song lists.

Maximum Songs Per List

There is a limit to how many songs can be in a list. The MAX_SONGS_IN_LIST variable should be in an environmental variable. This prevents the song lists from getting too massive, which impacts the performance and usability.

Building the API: Endpoints and Functionality

GET /songlists/get-list: Retrieving Song Lists

This endpoint retrieves a song list.
- It takes a songlist parameter (e.g., 1) to specify which list you want to access.
- It also includes an optional team_name parameter to get the song list of a specific team. For example: GET /songlists/get-list?songlist=1&team_name=TheRockStars.
- Permissions: The user making the request must be enrolled in the team to access its song lists.
- Response: The API returns a JSON object with a "songs" array, containing the song data (id and title) or an empty array [] if the file doesn't exist.
```
{
"songs": [{"id": 234, "title": "Eye of the tiger"}, {...}, ...]
}
```

GET /songlists/add-song: Adding Songs to a List

This endpoint adds a song to a song list.
- It takes two parameters: songlist and song_id.
  - songlist: Specifies the ID of the list to add to.
  - song_id: Specifies the ID of the song to add.
- An optional team_name parameter can be used to add a song to a team's song list. For example: GET /songlists/add-song?songlist=1&song_id=345&team_name=TheRockStars.
- Permissions and Song Availability:
  - Personal Lists: The song must be accessible to the user. That is, the song has been made by the user or the song is shared with a team the user is enrolled in.
  - Team Lists: The song must be shared with the team.
- File Handling: The program will create the JSON file if it doesn't exist. If the file already exists, the new song will be added to the end of the list.
- Response: Returns a JSON object with a "message" to confirm the addition.

POST /songlists/save-list: Saving and Reshaping Song Lists

This endpoint saves and reshapes a song list. It allows you to modify the order and content of songs in a list.
- It takes an optional team_name parameter for team song lists.
- Request Payload: The expected payload is a JSON object like this:
```
{
"songlist_id": 2,
"songs": [12, 345, 54, 23]
}
```
  - songlist_id: Specifies the ID of the list to modify.
  - songs: An array containing the IDs of the songs in the new order.
- Song Availability Checks: The API checks if the songs in the list can be used (similar to the add-song endpoint).
  - Personal Lists: The song must be accessible to the user.
  - Team Lists: The song must be shared with the team.
- Removing Songs: You can use this endpoint to remove songs from the list by excluding their IDs from the "songs" array. The UI can manage the removal of songs from the list, and the POST request reflects these changes.
- Response: The API returns a "message" confirming the changes.

Security Considerations

Authentication and Authorization

Authentication: Verify the user's identity before allowing access to the API. We need to make sure the right user is making the requests.
Authorization: Implement robust authorization checks. For example, ensure that a user can only access their own song lists or the song lists of teams they belong to. Ensure that users have edit permissions before allowing them to modify team playlists.

Input Validation

Always validate user inputs to prevent vulnerabilities such as SQL injection or cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. Ensure song IDs and titles conform to expected formats and do not contain malicious code.

Data Sanitization

Sanitize the data before storing it, to prevent the injection of malicious scripts or code. Escape special characters and encode the data properly before saving it in JSON files.

Implementation Notes and Best Practices

Error Handling

Provide informative error messages for debugging and a smooth user experience. Return appropriate HTTP status codes to indicate the outcome of each request (e.g., 200 OK, 400 Bad Request, 401 Unauthorized, 403 Forbidden, 404 Not Found).

Concurrency

If multiple users can access and modify song lists at the same time, consider implementing locking mechanisms to prevent data corruption. Prevent race conditions and data inconsistencies in your file operations.

Scalability

Consider using a database for larger song lists and user bases. Storing JSON files works well initially, but a database is much better for efficient querying and management as your data grows.

Testing

Write thorough unit and integration tests to verify the correctness of the API endpoints and data handling logic. Automate your tests as much as possible.

API Documentation

Use tools like Swagger or OpenAPI to generate API documentation. Clear, comprehensive documentation is essential for other developers to use and maintain the API. This will help you in the long run to avoid confusion and save valuable time.

Conclusion: The Power of Song List APIs

Building a song list API offers a fantastic foundation for creating personalized and shared music experiences. By following these guidelines, you can build a system that is not only functional but also scalable, secure, and user-friendly. So, get coding, and may your playlists always be perfectly curated!