Movie Characters API

A Web API built with ASP.NET Core for managing movie characters, movies, and franchises. The API allows you to track characters across different movies and movie franchises.

Getting Started

These instructions will help you get a copy of the project up and running on your local machine for development and testing purposes.

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio 2022
• .NET 6.0 SDK
• SQL Server Express
• SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) - Recommended for database management

First Time Setup

1. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/Nesegreven/MovieCharactersAPI.git

2. Check Database Connection String

   • Open appsettings.json
   • Verify the connection string matches your SQL Server instance:

   "ConnectionStrings": {
     "DefaultConnection": "Server=localhost\\SQLEXPRESS;Database=MovieCharactersDb;Trusted_Connection=True;TrustServerCertificate=True"
   }

3. Create Initial Database

   • Open Package Manager Console in Visual Studio (Tools → NuGet Package Manager → Package Manager Console)
   • Run the following commands:

   Add-Migration InitialCreate
   Update-Database

4. Run the Application

   • Start the application in Visual Studio (F5 or press the "Play" button)
   • The database will be seeded with initial data on the first run
   • Swagger UI will open automatically at http://localhost:5000/swagger

Demo

Initial Data (Seeding)

On first run, the database will be seeded with:

• Two franchises:
  • Marvel Cinematic Universe
  • The Lord of the Rings
• Several characters:
  • Tony Stark (Iron Man)
  • Thor Odinson
  • Frodo Baggins
  • Gandalf
  • Aragorn
  • Legolas
  • Samwise Gamgee
• Four movies:
  • Iron Man
  • The Lord of the Rings trilogy:
    • The Fellowship of the Ring
    • The Two Towers
    • The Return of the King

API Documentation

Once running, you can access the Swagger documentation at:

• http://localhost:5000/swagger

This provides a complete API reference with examples and the ability to test endpoints directly.

Built With

• ASP.NET Core 6.0
• Entity Framework Core
• SQL Server
• AutoMapper
• Swagger/OpenAPI

Project Structure

• Controllers/ - API endpoints
• Models/ - Database entities
• DTOs/ - Data Transfer Objects
• Data/ - DbContext and database configuration
• Services/ - Business logic
• Middleware/ - Custom middleware (error handling, etc.)

Development Notes

• HTTP is used instead of HTTPS for development simplicity
• The database is automatically created and seeded on first run
• Swagger UI is enabled in development mode
• Custom error handling is implemented

Entity Relationships

• Characters can appear in multiple movies (many-to-many)
• Movies can belong to one franchise (many-to-one)
• Franchises can have multiple movies (one-to-many)

Authors

• Simen Bergh

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details