Build API Servers with Rust and Actix

Name: Build API Servers with Rust and Actix
Rating: 4.5 (72 reviews)

Learn to Build API Servers Using Actix Web and SqlX and Create a Twitter Api Clone

Last updated 11/2024

English

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What you'll learn

Understand how to build Web Api with Actix Web
Understand how to Query and Update databases with SqlX
Understand coding in Rust using design patterns and loosely coupled architecture
Use Docker within examples to gain practical knowledge on how to build modern services

3 sections • 14 lectures • 3h 58m total length

Introduction: What We will Learn0:28
Get an understanding of the architecture of Actix Web, its main features, and how we can customize the framework's capabilities for our own purposes
Architecture of Actix Web11:35
Let's review the structure of an Actix Web app as well as setting up a basic instance
Extractors: Introduction and App State20:08
Extractors: The Core Extractors Path and Json20:43
Explore the two main extractors for Actix web—path and Json—and learn to deserialize URL and body inputs into Rust types using an in‑memory app state with an rw lock.
Extractors: Multipart, Handling Forms and Files36:24
Utilize Actix web extractors and the FromRequest trait to parse multipart forms and files, building custom handlers and futures for robust, testable payload parsing.
Response19:30
Explore responders, the inverse of extractors, and how Rust types serialize to Http responses or Json; see examples returning strings and implementing responders for custom types.
Error Handling19:33
Learn error handling in Actix web by defining custom error types, using derive_more, and leveraging the response error trait to convert errors into Actix web responses with appropriate status codes.
Handlers22:56

Introduction: What We Will Learn0:43
Now that we understand how to use Actix Web and SqlX we will review a working Twitter Api clone. First we'll take a look at our Repository implementation, using SqlX and Postgres. Then we'll learn about our setup of our Actix Web instance and core settings. Then we'll understand how Routes, Extractors, Responders, and Error Handling are integrated into the system. And finally we'll launch our app on Docker and test it to make sure it's working.
Overview of Project Structure4:09
In this section we will review the project's structure include the Cargo.toml file and some related core Rust files. If you are already familiar with Rust workspaces and customizing project structure you can safely skip this section.
First Layer: Data Access35:36
Any real Api Service needs a repository layer to interact with the database. In this section we'll see how to build out a fully functional Data Access Layer including data querying, inserting and transactions. We will also understand concerns like proper structure and loose coupling.
Second Layer: Actix Web App Instance18:53
Understand all the pieces that make up a complete Actix Web Server including Application Design, Route Handlers, Extractors, Response types, etc. Then integrate with Docker and run our final project.

Intermediate Rust language knowledge and several years experience building servers in any language

Get a conceptual understanding of Actix Web's architecture and learn about its many features and capabilities.
Learn how to setup and initialize an Actix Web Server. Learn how to build Route Handlers that respond to requests. Create unique Extractors to receive parameters in a type safe way. Handle Errors that may occur during Route Handler processing.
Understand how SqlX works and how to query databases. Use SqlX to connect to Postgres, through a Docker image, and do CRUD operations like select, insert, update, and delete. Learn how to perform transactions in SqlX and how to exit a transaction early if an error occurs. Also learn about SqlX's database migration capabilities, so that you can create and modify schema as data needs change.
Learn how to structure an Api Server. Creating Separation of Concerns, Encapsulation, and loose coupling of code. This will enhance your ability to continue building on the original application.
Gain practical understanding on the code base for a large and realistic Twitter Api clone. We will be diving deep into Actix Web Routing, Extractors, Responders, Error Handling, SqlX queries, and more.
All Course projects are built using Docker images containing both the Actix Web Server and Postgres database as needed for the lessons.