Dev tools Hub API

Published: 1 day ago (December 14, 2025 at 11:46 AM EST)

3 min read

Source: Dev.to

Source: Dev.to

What I Built

Submission for the Xano AI-Powered Backend Challenge: Production‑Ready Public API

Title: DevTools Resource Hub API
Available: True

DevTools APIs

Xano Hub API
Xano Assisted Production API

Software Backend Architecture

Architecture Diagram 1

The backend follows a layered, modular design suitable for an MVP. API endpoints expose REST interfaces, protected by authentication, rate limiting, and validation. Core business logic is isolated into services such as search, recommendations, and scoring. A data‑access layer handles queries, caching, and transactions on PostgreSQL. Event handling and background jobs enable scalable, asynchronous integrations.

Architecture Diagram 2

Architecture Diagram 3

Architecture Diagram 4

Caching Strategy Overview

Caching Strategy

Database Schema

`tools`

Column	Type	Constraints / Description
id	SERIAL	Primary Key
name	VARCHAR(255)	Unique, Not Null
slug	VARCHAR(255)	Unique, URL‑safe
category_id	INTEGER	FK → `categories.id`
description	TEXT	Tool description
tagline	VARCHAR(500)	Short marketing line
website_url	VARCHAR(500)	Official website
logo_url	VARCHAR(500)	Logo image URL
founded_date	DATE	Company founding date
company_name	VARCHAR(255)	Company behind the tool
is_active	BOOLEAN	Default: true
query_count	INTEGER	Default: 0 (trending score)
last_queried_at	TIMESTAMP	Last API query time
created_at	TIMESTAMP	Default: now()
updated_at	TIMESTAMP	Default: now()

Indexes

category_id
slug
is_active
(query_count, last_queried_at)

`categories`

Column	Type	Constraints / Description
id	SERIAL	Primary Key
name	VARCHAR(255)	Unique, Not Null
slug	VARCHAR(255)	Unique
parent_id	INTEGER	Self FK → `categories.id`
description	TEXT	Category description
icon	VARCHAR(100)	Icon identifier
display_order	INTEGER	Default: 0
created_at	TIMESTAMP	Created timestamp

Indexes

parent_id
slug

`pricing_tiers`

Column	Type	Constraints / Description
id	SERIAL	Primary Key
tool_id	INTEGER	FK → `tools.id` (CASCADE)
tier_name	VARCHAR(100)	Free, Starter, Pro
monthly_price	DECIMAL(10,2)	Nullable
annual_price	DECIMAL(10,2)	Nullable
currency	VARCHAR(3)	Default: USD
billing_cycle	ENUM	`monthly`, `annual`, `one-time`
features_json	JSONB	Flexible features list
limits_json	JSONB	API limits, users, storage
is_current	BOOLEAN	Default: true
effective_from	TIMESTAMP	Pricing start
effective_to	TIMESTAMP	Nullable
created_at	TIMESTAMP	Created timestamp

Indexes

(tool_id, is_current)
(effective_from, effective_to)

`alternatives`

Column	Type	Constraints / Description
id	SERIAL	Primary Key
tool_id	INTEGER	FK → `tools.id`
alternative_id	INTEGER	FK → `tools.id`
similarity_score	DECIMAL(5,2)	Range: 0–100
match_basis	ENUM	`features`, `pricing`, `category`
comparison_notes	TEXT	Comparison details
upvotes	INTEGER	Default: 0
created_at	TIMESTAMP	Created timestamp
updated_at	TIMESTAMP	Updated timestamp

Constraints

UNIQUE(tool_id, alternative_id)
tool_id <> alternative_id

Indexes

tool_id
similarity_score DESC

`reviews_aggregate`

Column	Type	Constraints / Description
id	SERIAL	Primary Key
tool_id	INTEGER	FK → `tools.id`
source	VARCHAR(50)	`g2`, `capterra`, `producthunt`
avg_rating	DECIMAL(3,2)	Range: 0–5
total_reviews	INTEGER	Review count
rating_breakdown	JSONB	e.g. `{5:120,4:45,...}`
source_url	VARCHAR(500)	Review page URL
last_scraped_at	TIMESTAMP	Scraping time
created_at	TIMESTAMP	Created timestamp

Indexes

(tool_id, source)
avg_rating DESC

`features`

Column	Type	Constraints / Description
id	SERIAL	Primary Key
tool_id	INTEGER	FK → `tools.id`
feature_name	VARCHAR(255)	Feature title
feature_category	VARCHAR(100)	`Auth`, `API`, `Database`
is_available	BOOLEAN	Default: true
tier_availability	VARCHAR(50)	`free`, `pro`, `all`
description	TEXT	Feature details
created_at	TIMESTAMP	Created timestamp

Indexes

tool_id
feature_category
is_available

`changelog`

Column	Type	Constraints / Description
id	SERIAL	Primary Key
tool_id	INTEGER	FK → `tools.id`
change_type	ENUM	`pricing`, `feature`, `update`
change_summary	VARCHAR(500)	Short summary
change_details	TEXT	Detailed change
old_value	JSONB	Previous value
new_value	JSONB	Updated value
changed_at	TIMESTAMP	When change occurred
created_at	TIMESTAMP	Created timestamp

Indexes

(tool_id, changed_at DESC)
change_type

`integrations`

Column	Type	Constraints / Description
id	SERIAL	Primary Key
tool_id	INTEGER	FK → `tools.id`
integrates_with	INTEGER	FK → `tools.id`
integration_type	ENUM	`native`, `api`, `webhook`, `zapier`
ease_of_setup	ENUM	`easy`, `medium`, `complex`
documentation_url	VARCHAR(500)	Docs link
is_official	BOOLEAN	Default: false
created_at	TIMESTAMP	Created timestamp

Indexes

tool_id
integrates_with

API Documentation

Tools API

1️⃣ Get All Tools

Endpoint

GET /tools/

Query Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
`category`	string (optional)	Filter by category
`price_min`	number (optional)	Minimum price
`price_max`	number (optional)	Maximum price
`features`	array of strings (optional)	Required features
`sort`	string (default: “name”)	Sorting field
`page`	number (default: 1)	Page number
`size`	number (default: 10)	Page size

Response Example

{
  "items": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "name": "VS Code",
      "slug": "vs-code",
      "category_id": 3,
      "description": "Free source‑code editor",
      "website_url": "https://code.visualstudio.com/",
      "logo_url": "https://example.com/logo.png",
      "is_active": true,
      "query_count": 124,
      "last_queried_at": "2025-11-01T12:34:56Z"
    }
    // …more tools
  ],
  "page": 1,
  "size": 10,
  "total_items": 342,
  "total_pages": 35
}

2️⃣ Get Tool Details

Endpoint

GET /tools/{id}/

Path Parameter

id – Integer ID of the tool.

Response Example

{
  "id": 1,
  "name": "VS Code",
  "slug": "vs-code",
  "category": {
    "id": 3,
    "name": "IDE"
  },
  "description": "Free source‑code editor",
  "website_url": "https://code.visualstudio.com/",
  "logo_url": "https://example.com/logo.png",
  "features": [
    { "name": "IntelliSense", "available": true },
    { "name": "Debugging", "available": true }
  ],
  "pricing_tiers": [
    { "tier_name": "Free", "monthly_price": null, "annual_price": null }
  ],
  "reviews": {
    "avg_rating": 4.7,
    "total_reviews": 215
  }
}

3️⃣ Search Tools

Endpoint

GET /tools/search/

Query Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
`q`	string	Search term (name, tagline, etc.)
`page`	number	Page number (default 1)
`size`	number	Page size (default 10)

Response – Same structure as Get All Tools but filtered by the search term.

Categories API

Endpoint

GET /categories/

Returns a list of tool categories with their hierarchy.

Pricing Tiers API

Endpoint

GET /tools/{id}/pricing/

Provides current and historical pricing information for a specific tool.

Alternatives API

Endpoint

GET /tools/{id}/alternatives/

Returns a ranked list of alternative tools based on similarity score.

Reviews Aggregate API

Endpoint

GET /tools/{id}/reviews/

Aggregates ratings from external sources (G2, Capterra, Product Hunt).

Features API

Endpoint

GET /tools/{id}/features/

Lists all features of a tool, grouped by category and tier availability.

Changelog API

Endpoint

GET /tools/{id}/changelog/

Provides a chronological list of changes (pricing, features, updates).

Integrations API

Endpoint

GET /tools/{id}/integrations/

Shows native and third‑party integrations for the tool.

Dev tools Hub API

What I Built

DevTools APIs

Software Backend Architecture

Caching Strategy Overview

Database Schema

`tools`

`categories`

`pricing_tiers`

`alternatives`

`reviews_aggregate`

`features`

`changelog`

`integrations`

API Documentation

Tools API

1️⃣ Get All Tools

2️⃣ Get Tool Details

3️⃣ Search Tools

Categories API

Pricing Tiers API

Alternatives API

Reviews Aggregate API

Features API

Changelog API

Integrations API

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