🌙 Aurelia – Dream Journal Web Application

Aurelia is a full-stack Dream Journal application built with a layered architecture using FastAPI, MySQL, and a custom web client interface.

This project demonstrates:

• Service Layer architecture
• Full CRUD operations for multiple entities
• RESTful API design
• Console-based testing harness
• Web-based client layer
• Local MySQL database integration
• Themed UI implementation

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🏗️ Project Architecture

The application follows a layered design pattern:

Client Layer (HTML/CSS/JS)
        ↓
FastAPI Controller Layer
        ↓
Service Layer
        ↓
Manager / Data Access Layer
        ↓
MySQL Database

Layers Explained

1️⃣ Client Layer

• Built using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
• Communicates with backend via REST API
• Fully styled Dream Journal aesthetic
• Calls ALL “GET” endpoints for ALL tables (per project requirements)

2️⃣ Controller Layer

• Implemented using FastAPI
• Defines REST endpoints for all entities
• Handles request/response serialization

3️⃣ Service Layer

• Contains business logic
• Delegates database operations to manager classes

4️⃣ Data Access Layer

• Handles direct interaction with MySQL
• Executes SQL queries
• Returns structured data

5️⃣ Database

• MySQL (hosted locally)
• Multiple related tables with foreign key relationships

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🗄️ Database Schema

The system includes the following tables:

Users

• id
• name
• email

Dreams

• id
• user_id (FK → Users)
• title
• description
• date
• mood
• vividness

Symbols

• id
• name
• description

Poems

• id
• author_id (FK → Users)
• dream_id (FK → Dreams)
• content
• created_at

DreamSymbols (Link Table)

• dream_id (FK → Dreams)
• symbol_id (FK → Symbols)

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🔌 API Endpoints

All endpoints are implemented with full CRUD functionality.

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USERS

POST    /users
GET     /users
GET     /users/{user_id}
PUT     /users/{user_id}
DELETE  /users/{user_id}

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DREAMS

POST    /dreams
GET     /dreams
GET     /dreams/{dream_id}
PUT     /dreams/{dream_id}
DELETE  /dreams/{dream_id}

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SYMBOLS

POST    /symbols
GET     /symbols
GET     /symbols/{symbol_id}
PUT     /symbols/{symbol_id}
DELETE  /symbols/{symbol_id}

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POEMS

POST    /poems
GET     /poems
GET     /poems/{poem_id}
PUT     /poems/{poem_id}
DELETE  /poems/{poem_id}

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DREAMSYMBOLS

POST    /dreamsymbols
GET     /dreamsymbols
GET     /dreamsymbols?dream_id=X
GET     /dreamsymbols/{link_id}
GET     /dreams/{dream_id}/symbols/{symbol_id}
PUT     /dreamsymbols/{link_id}
DELETE  /dreamsymbols?dream_id=X&symbol_id=Y

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🖥️ Console-Based Test Harness

A console front-end (test_frontend.py) was implemented for:

• Manual CRUD testing
• Menu-based navigation
• Input validation
• ReadAll before each action
• Entity-specific submenus (Users, Dreams, Symbols, Poems, DreamSymbols)

This allowed full service-layer verification before building the web client.

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🌐 Web Client Layer

A fully functional web-based client was created using:

• HTML
• CSS
• JavaScript (Fetch API)

Features

• Calls ALL “get” methods for ALL tables
• Performs full CRUD
• Section-based navigation
• Dynamic output display
• Themed UI (Dream Journal aesthetic)

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🎨 UI Theme: Dream Journal Aesthetic

The client uses a custom styles.css with:

• Soft pastel gradient background
• Glassmorphism card styling
• Rounded UI elements
• Serif typography
• Navigation toggling between entities
• Always-visible response section
• Responsive layout

Sections include:

• Users
• Dreams
• Symbols
• Poems
• Dream Symbols
• Oracle Response (API output display)

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⚙️ Running the Application Locally

1️⃣ Start MySQL

Ensure MySQL is running locally and the database is created.

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2️⃣ Activate Virtual Environment

venv\Scripts\activate

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3️⃣ Run FastAPI Backend

uvicorn aurelia.app_api:app --reload

Server runs at:

http://127.0.0.1:8000

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4️⃣ Open Client

Open in browser:

http://127.0.0.1:8000/static/index.html

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📦 Technologies Used

• Python
• FastAPI
• Uvicorn
• MySQL
• HTML
• CSS
• JavaScript (Fetch API)

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🧪 Testing Performed

• Manual CRUD testing via console harness
• Endpoint validation via Swagger UI
• Client-to-backend integration testing
• MySQL connection validation
• Input validation for numeric fields
• Link-table relationship testing

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🧠 Key Challenges Solved

• MySQL authentication issues
• JSON parsing errors
• Endpoint routing inconsistencies
• Linking dream-symbol relationships
• Static file hosting in FastAPI
• Section navigation state management
• Response container visibility fix

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🚀 Hosting

Currently hosted locally using:

Uvicorn + FastAPI static file serving

No IIS or external hosting required for local deployment.

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📸 Project Requirements Satisfied

✔ Client calls ALL GET endpoints ✔ Client hosted locally ✔ Full CRUD operations ✔ Layered architecture maintained ✔ Screenshots ready for submission

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🌌 Future Enhancements

• Authentication layer
• User login system
• Rich dream visualization UI
• React-based frontend
• Deployment to cloud (Render, Railway, or Azure)
• Full UX redesign for portfolio use

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👤 Author

Developed as part of a multi-phase service-layer and client-layer software architecture project.