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Backend Challenge - Zip Code Lookup Service

Introduction

The "Zip Code Lookup Service" challenge is designed to create a REST API that retrieves location information based on zip codes.

Objectives

  • Set up a web server capable of handling API requests.
  • Implement endpoints to look up location details based on zip codes.
  • Integrate with an external API or use a dataset for location information.
  • Understand HTTP methods (GET) and status codes.

Instructions

  1. Objective: Develop a REST API that returns location information (e.g., city, state, country) based on a given zip code.

  2. Environment Setup: Choose your preferred programming language (e.g., JavaScript, Python, Java, C#) and set up the necessary environment.

  3. Implementation Details:

    • Define endpoints for handling zip code lookups:
      • GET /lookup?zip={zip_code}: Retrieve location information for the provided zip code.
        • Example: GET /lookup?zip=90210 should return {"city": "Beverly Hills", "state": "CA", "country": "USA"}.
    • Implement logic to interact with location data:
      • Use an external API (e.g., Zipcodebase, Zippopotam.us) to fetch location details, or use a local dataset if an external API is not available.
      • Return location details as JSON in the response, including city, state/province, and country.
    • Ensure proper error handling for invalid or non-existent zip codes.

  4. Testing: Test your API using an HTTP client (e.g., Postman, curl).

    • Send requests to the /lookup endpoint with various valid and invalid zip codes.
    • Verify that the responses contain the expected location data and that status codes are appropriate (e.g., 200 OK, 404 Not Found).

Possible Improvements

  • Reverse Lookup: Add an endpoint that allows users to retrieve zip codes based on city and state.
  • Caching: Implement caching for frequently looked-up zip codes to reduce external API calls and improve performance.
  • Autocomplete Feature: Provide suggestions for locations as users type in the zip code (useful for building a UI).
  • Multi-Country Support: Expand the service to support zip codes from multiple countries.
  • Rate Limiting: Implement rate limiting to prevent abuse of the service, especially if using a free tier of an external API.

Conclusion

By completing this challenge, you will gain practical experience in developing a zip code lookup service and learn essential practices for backend development. Explore additional improvements and challenges to further enhance your skills.

Happy coding!