Mission 9 of 12

Build a Recipe API

Go backend. Build a REST API for recipes with Express and a PostgreSQL database on Railway - full CRUD, secured with JWT auth, covered by automated tests, and shipped through a CI/CD pipeline.

By the end of this mission: “I can build and deploy a tested, authenticated REST API with Express, SQL and CI/CD.”

The tech stack for this mission

ExpressPostgreSQLRailwayJWTTestingGitHub ActionsVercel

What you learn, checkpoint by checkpoint

  1. Checkpoint A

    Build the Express REST endpoints and the PostgreSQL schema on Railway

    • Set up an Express server and define REST routes for recipes
    • Create the PostgreSQL schema on Railway and connect it to your API
    • Implement full CRUD - create, read, update and delete recipes

  2. Checkpoint B

    Add JWT authentication and request validation

    • Add JWT authentication so only signed-in users can write
    • Validate incoming requests and return proper status codes
    • Protect the right endpoints and handle auth errors cleanly

  3. Checkpoint C

    Write automated tests, wire up CI/CD with GitHub Actions, and deploy

    • Write automated tests for your endpoints and core logic
    • Set up a GitHub Actions workflow to run tests on every push
    • Deploy the API and confirm the CI pipeline is green

AI companion mode · AI as Reviewer

You write the code · AI reviews it

Companion suggests refactors and reviews PRs. You write the code; AI catches what you miss. You decide what to accept.

What proves you’re done

Deployed Recipe API + passing test suite + green CI pipeline

Every mission ships something real and public. If you can’t explain it, you can’t submit it.

Free · no card needed

Reading is not building.

This mission is part of the paid 12-week programme - but the way we teach is free to try. The free trial puts you inside Sigmo, the learning portal our students use daily, with the 6 Projects in 6 Days precourse: real projects, real code, published to your own GitHub.

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Mission 8

Build a Responsive Clothing Store

Mission 10

Build a Number Guessing Game

Ready for the real thing?

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