Recently, I have been working on developing a REST API using Sails.js. As I outlined the resources needed for my application, it struck me that many frameworks (based on Express) are proficient at handling single resources.
However, in most cases, I found myself needing to manage multiple resources simultaneously. To illustrate, consider the following structure and relationships between resources:
Users -- user's metadata
`- Books -- book metadata
`- author
`- Gallery -- Images -- image metadata
`- Videos -- video metadata
The resources mentioned above include: Users, Books, Gallery, Images, and Videos. Each resource only stores the IDs of its subresources.
The challenge arose when inserting a new subresource. For example, after adding a book, I had to identify its owner and establish a reference to this book.
Things got more complex when uploading an image. Following the creation of an Image, knowing the user who uploaded it, I needed to create a gallery, add the image reference to the gallery, and link the gallery's ID to that user.
This process required coordination between controllers for users, images, galleries, leading to code redundancy and complexity (such as making Users model calls from Images or Gallery controllers).
An immediate fix could involve eliminating the Gallery subResource and directly associating videos and photos with the user, but this is just one approach.
Therefore, I aim to organize my app by establishing distinct modules for Users, Galleries, etc., each providing a basic CRUD API. Then, route incoming requests to the relevant controller/handler to interact with these modules seamlessly. Additionally, for single-resource requests, automatically redirecting to the module's handler would be ideal.
Would this structuring pattern benefit scaling a REST API (despite being more about data manipulation than adhering strictly to REST principles)?
If so, are there any libraries or perhaps extensions to Express that can help create these modules? I am currently utilizing mongoDB with mongooseJS for models.
Could you recommend a suitable file structure for the application?
Adding the tag golang because I am exploring whether there are frameworks like beego, martini, or goweb that align with my requirements.
This inquiry is not aimed at soliciting opinions but seeks insights from someone experienced with similar challenges. Despite searching extensively, I have struggled to find solutions beyond basic REST API tutorials employing unspecified frameworks, which fail to address the architecture/scalability concerns essential for deploying a robust application.
Thank you.