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Building a REST API using Vapor and Fluent

Swift on the server enables seamless app development from client-side to server-side. Vapor, a popular framework for building web services in Swift, makes it easy to create REST APIs. This guide walks you through setting up a REST API for managing tasks using Vapor and Fluent.

Details

URL: 🔗 https://vapor.codes

Source: 🔗 Book: Server-Side Swift

Author: [Author Name]

Tags:
REST API, Vapor, Fluent, Swift, Server-Side Swift

Platforms Supported: macOS, Linux

Swift Version: 5.x

Getting Started with Vapor​

Step 1: Install Vapor and Setup the Project​

  1. Check Swift Version:

    swift --version

    Ensure you have Swift 5.2 or later.

  2. Install Vapor CLI using Homebrew:

    brew install vapor

  3. Create a New Vapor Project:

    vapor new TaskAPI
    cd TaskAPI
    vapor xcode

    Select yes to use Fluent and choose Postgres as the database.

Step 2: Define the Task Model​

Create a Task.swift file under the Models group:

Task.swift
import Vapor

final class Task: Content {
    let id: UUID?
    var description: String
    var category: String

    init(id: UUID? = nil, description: String, category: String) {
        self.id = id
        self.description = description
        self.category = category
    }
}

Step 3: Setup Routes​

Define routes in Routes.swift to handle task creation and retrieval:

Routes.swift
import Vapor

var tasks = [Task]()

func routes(_ app: Application) throws {
    app.post("task") { req -> EventLoopFuture<HTTPStatus> in
        let task = try req.content.decode(Task.self)
        tasks.append(task)
        return req.eventLoop.makeSucceededFuture(.ok)
    }

    app.get("task") { req -> [Task] in
        return tasks
    }
}

Step 4: Run and Test the API​

  1. Run the Vapor Project:

    vapor build
    vapor run

    Visit http://127.0.0.1:8080/hello to verify the setup.

  2. Test with cURL:

    • Create a Task: 
      curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X POST -d '{"description":"Buy milk","category":"Shopping"}' http://127.0.0.1:8080/task
    • Retrieve Tasks: 
      curl http://127.0.0.1:8080/task

Adding Fluent for Database Support​

Step 5: Integrate Fluent with Postgres​

Modify configure.swift to connect Vapor with a PostgreSQL database using Fluent:

configure.swift
import Fluent
import FluentPostgresDriver
import Vapor

public func configure(_ app: Application) throws {
    app.databases.use(.postgres(
        hostname: "localhost",
        username: "vapor_username",
        password: "vapor_password",
        database: "vapor_database"
    ), as: .psql)

    app.migrations.add(CreateTask())
    try app.autoMigrate().wait()
}

Step 6: Define Database Migration​

Create a migration for the Task model in Task.swift:

Task.swift
import Fluent

struct CreateTask: Migration {
    func prepare(on database: Database) -> EventLoopFuture<Void> {
        database.schema("tasks")
            .id()
            .field("description", .string, .required)
            .field("category", .string, .required)
            .create()
    }

    func revert(on database: Database) -> EventLoopFuture<Void> {
        database.schema("tasks").delete()
    }
}

Step 7: Update Routes to Use Fluent​

Replace the in-memory storage with Fluent’s database operations:

import Vapor
import Fluent

func routes(_ app: Application) throws {
    app.post("task") { req -> EventLoopFuture<Task> in
        let task = try req.content.decode(Task.self)
        return task.save(on: req.db).map { task }
    }

    app.get("task") { req -> EventLoopFuture<[Task]> in
        Task.query(on: req.db).all()
    }
}

Conclusion​

This guide covers setting up a REST API using Vapor and Fluent, managing tasks with routes, and integrating with a PostgreSQL database. With this foundation, you can expand your API to include more complex operations.

Learn More about Vapor→