PlayPI

PlayPI (pronounced as Play-P-I, similar to API) is an open-source, simple, and local API playground that allows software engineers to test and experiment with various types of APIs. It is designed for hands-on learning and testing without requiring an internet connection or complex setup.

With PlayPI, you can practice API testing across multiple technologies and protocols, including RESTful, gRPC, GraphQL, and WebSocket (and more to come). You can also use this playground if you are conducting a hands-on API testing workshop or bootcamp.

---

Why PlayPI?

PlayPI stands out as a versatile, multi-protocol API playground:

• Multiple API protocols: Includes RESTful, gRPC, GraphQL, and WebSocket APIs (and more to come).
• Realistic use cases: Each API implements meaningful functionalities such as inventory management, task management, user registration, and live chat.
• Offline testing: No internet connection is required; all APIs run locally.
• Ease of use: Simple CLI and Docker-based installation options make it beginner-friendly.

Quick Start Using CLI

Download the Binary

1. Go to the Releases page of this repository.
2. Download the binary for your platform (only macOS & Linux supported currently).
3. Make the binary executable (if required): chmod +x playpi

Run the Playground

Use the following command to start the desired service: ./playpi start [api-type]

Replace [api-type] with one of the following:

• restful-inventory-manager
• graphql-inventory-manager
• grpc-inventory-manager
• websocket-inventory-manager
• restful-task-manager
• grpc-user-registration
• websocket-live-chat

Example:

./playpi start restful-inventory-manager

Docker Installation and Usage

Pull the Docker Image

docker pull abhivaikar/playpi:latest

Run the Playground

Run a specific API service: docker run -p <port>:<port> abhivaikar/playpi start [api-type]

Replace <port> and [api-type] as needed.

Example:

• Start RESTful Inventory Manager: docker run -p 8080:8080 abhivaikar/playpi start restful-inventory-manager
• Start RESTful Task Management API: docker run -p 8085:8085 abhivaikar/playpi start restful-task-manager
• Start GraphQL inventory Management API: docker run -p 8081:8081 abhivaikar/playpi start graphql-inventory-manager
• Start gRPC inventory management API: docker run -p 8082:8082 abhivaikar/playpi start grpc-inventory-manager
• Start gRPC user registration API: docker run -p 8084:8084 abhivaikar/playpi start grpc-user-registration
• Start websocket inventory manager API: docker run -p 8083:8083 abhivaikar/playpi start websocket-inventory-manager
• Start websocket live chat API: docker run -p 8086:8086 abhivaikar/playpi start websocket-live-chat

Accessing a service once started

Which client you want to use to access the service on the playground is entirely upto you. But here are some suggestions.

• RESTful API: Use Postman or curl or via your favourite programming language at http://localhost:<port>.
• gRPC API: Test with grpcurl or Postman or via your favourite programming language on localhost:<port>.
• WebSocket API: Connect using a WebSocket client like Postman or WebSocket King at ws://localhost:<port>.
• GraphQL API: Connect using a GraphQL client like Postman, GraphiQL, Insomnia or your favourite programming language at http://localhost:8081/graphql

APIs and Use Cases

RESTful API - Inventory Management

CRUD operations to manage an inventory of items. Example operations include adding, updating, deleting, and retrieving items.

Create item

HTTP Method: POST URL: /items Payload:

{
"name": "Laptop",
"description": "A high-performance laptop",
"price": 1500.99,
"quantity": 10
}

Update item

HTTP Method: PUT URL: items/{id} Payload:

{
"name": "Laptop",
"description": "A high-performance laptop",
"price": 1500.99,
"quantity": 1
}

Delete item

HTTP Method: DELETE URL: items/{id} Payload: No payload

Get all items

HTTP Method: GET URL: /items

Update item - specific field

HTTP Method: PATCH URL: items/{id} Payload:

{
"quantity" : 1
}

RESTful API - Task Management

Manage tasks with fields such as title, description, due date, and status. Tasks can be marked as overdue based on their due date.

Create a new task

HTTP Method: POST URL: /tasks Payload:

{
"title": "Write documentation",
"description": "Document all APIs for the PlayPI project",
"due_date": "2025-01-15",
"priority": "high"
}

Update a task

HTTP Method: PUT URL: /tasks/1 Payload:

{
"title": "Finalize documentation",
"description": "Update and finalize all API docs",
"due_date": "2025-01-20",
"priority": "medium",
"status": "in progress"
}

Mark task as complete

HTTP Method: PUT URL: /tasks/1/complete Payload: N/A

Get all tasks

HTTP Method: GET URL: /tasks

Get a task

HTTP Method: GET URL: /tasks/{id}

Delete a task

HTTP Method: DELETE URL: /tasks/{id}

gRPC API - Inventory Management

• Full CRUD support for managing inventory.
• Proto file for generating client can be found in services/grpc/inventory_management/pb/inventory.proto

AddItem

Payload

{
"description": "reprehenderit ex et anim",
"name": "Ut mollit",
"price": 10,
"quantity": 12
}

GetItem

Payload

{
"id": 1
}

ListItems

No payload

UpdateItem

Payload

{
"description": "dolor et nostrud reprehenderit",
"id": 1,
"name": "ex ut velit fugiat eiusmod",
"price": 6668482.157076433,
"quantity": 1800787081
}

DeleteItem

Payload

{
"id": 1
}

gRPC API - User Registration and Sign-In

• Register a new user, sign in with a username and password, view profiles, and update/delete account details.
• Proto file for generating client can be found in services/grpc/user_registration/pb/user.proto

RegisterUser

Payload:

{
"user": {
"address": "ut",
"email": "[email protected]",
"full_name": "test",
"password": "test",
"phone": "2323431",
"username": "testuser"
 }
}

SignIn

Payload:

{
"password": "test",
"username": "testuser"
}

GetProfile

Payload:

{
"token": "token_from_signin_response"
}

UpdateProfile

Payload:

{
"token": "token_from_signin",
"user": {
"address": "sint",
"email": "[email protected]",
"full_name": "cillum sed",
"password": "awdad",
"phone": "43141",
"username": "updated_username"
 }
}

DeleteAccount

Payload:

{
"token": "token_from_signin"
}

GraphQL API - Inventory management

Query and mutate inventory data with a flexible schema. Example: Fetch a list of items, retrieve specific details, or update inventory.

Get all items

{
  items {
    id
    name
    description
    price
    quantity
  }
}

Get item by item id

{
item(id: 1) {
name
description
quantity
}
}

Add item

mutation {
addItem(name: "Headphones", description: "Noise-canceling headphones", price: 299.99, quantity: 10) {
id
name
description
 }
}

Update item

mutation {
updateItem(id: 1, name: "Updated Laptop", quantity: 20) {
id
name
description
price
quantity
 }
}

Delete item

mutation {
deleteItem(id: 2)
}

WebSocket API - Inventory Management

Real-time updates to all connected clients when inventory changes occur.

Add item broadcast

{
  "type": "add_item",
  "payload": {
    "name": "Laptop",
    "description": "High-performance laptop",
    "price": 1500.99,
    "quantity": 10
  }
}

Get all items

{
  "type": "get_all_items"
}

Update an item

{
  "type": "update_item",
  "payload": {
    "id": 1,
    "quantity": 20
  }
}

Delete an item

{
  "type": "delete_item",
  "payload": {
    "id": 1
  }
}

WebSocket API - Live Chat

Multi-user chat functionality with join/leave notifications and private messaging.

Join a chat

Send below message to indicate you have joined the chat after connecting to the websocket server. Other clients who have joined will get a broadcast that you have joined the chat.

"john_doe"

Broadcast a message to all chat users

{
    "type": "chat",
    "username": "john_doe",
    "message": "Hello, everyone!"
}

Send a private message to a specific user

{
    "type": "private",
    "username": "john_doe",
    "message": "Hi Jane!",
    "to": "jane_doe"
}

Leave chat

You just need to disconnect from the websocket connection and all other clients connected to the websocket will get a message that you have left.

Contributing to PlayPI

We welcome contributions to make PlayPI even better! Whether it's fixing a bug, suggesting a new feature, or improving the documentation, your input is valuable.

The most important contributions needed will be to add new and real-world use cases (beyond inventory, task manager, chat etc) and/or protocols (beyond restful, gRPC, websocket etc).

How to Contribute

1. Fork the repository
2. Clone your fork locally
3. Create a new branch
4. Make your changes
   • Add new features, fix bugs, refactor existing code, add tests or improve documentation.
5. Test your changes locally to ensure they work as expected.
   • Currently the project does not have automated tests for the services. We will be adding them soon and create an automated build and test Github actions pipeline.
6. Commit and push
7. Submit a pull request
   • Go to your forked repository on GitHub.
   • Click the "Compare & pull request" button.
   • Describe your changes and submit the pull request.

Reporting Issues and Feedback

We value your feedback to improve PlayPI. If you encounter any issues or have suggestions, here's how you can raise them:

1. Search for existing issues:

   • Check the Issues tab on GitHub to see if your issue has already been reported.

2. Create a new issue:

   • If your issue or feedback is new, click on the "New Issue" button in the Issues tab.
   • Provide a clear and detailed description of the issue or feedback:
     • What were you trying to do?
     • What happened instead?
     • Steps to reproduce the issue (if applicable).
     • Any relevant logs or screenshots.

3. Feature requests:

   • Label your issue as a "Feature Request" and provide details about the functionality you'd like to see.