Auction Platform

An online auction platform built with Django, Django REST Framework, Celery, and Redis, allowing users to list items, place bids, and manage auctions with background tasks.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Installation
• Celery & Redis Integration
• API Endpoints
• Usage

Features

• User Authentication: Custom user model with email-based authentication, including registration, login, and password reset.
• Item Management: Users can create, view, update, and delete items they own.
• Auction Management: Users can initiate auctions, set starting bids, and specify end times.
• Bidding: Users can place bids on active auctions, with validation to ensure bids are above the current highest bid.
• Background Tasks: Celery is used with Redis as the message broker for handling asynchronous tasks, like sending email notifications for password resets and auction reminders.
• Password Reset: Users can request password reset emails, with verification codes stored in cache.
• Item Transfer: Auction items can be transferred between users once an auction is completed successfully.
• Email Notifications: Automatic email notifications for auction updates, bid confirmations, and auction reminders.

Installation

1. Clone the Repository

   git clone <repo link>
   cd AuctionHub

2. Install Dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Run Migrations

   python manage.py migrate

4. Set Up Redis
   Ensure that Redis is installed and running. You can install it via package managers (e.g., brew install redis for macOS, sudo apt install redis-server for Ubuntu) and start the server:

   redis-server
   
   # by docker
   docker run -p 6379:6379 redis:7.0.5-alpine

5. Start Celery
   Open a new terminal and run Celery with the Redis broker:

   celery -A auctionhub worker -l info
   celery -A auctionhub  beat  --loglevel=info

6. Run the Server

   python manage.py runserver

Celery & Redis Integration

This project uses Celery for handling background tasks, such as sending email notifications for password resets and auction-related reminders. Redis acts as the message broker for Celery to manage task queues and results.

Setting Up Celery

• Install Celery and Redis:

  pip install celery redis

• Configuration: Celery and Redis configurations are set in Django’s settings.py file.
• Running Celery: After setting up Redis, start a Celery worker to listen for tasks, as shown in step 5 above.

Background Tasks

• Password Reset: Celery handles email notifications for password reset requests.
• Auction Notifications: Set automated reminders and notifications for auction events.
• Item Transfer Notifications: Notifications when items are successfully transferred to the winning bidder.

API Endpoints

User Authentication

• POST ${BaseUrl}/api/register/: Register a new user
• POST ${BaseUrl}/api/login/: Log in a user
• POST ${BaseUrl}/api/change_password/: Change the password
• POST ${BaseUrl}/api/forgot_password/: Request a password reset email and check the email to reset forgotten password

Items

• GET ${BaseUrl}/api/items/: List all items
• POST ${BaseUrl}/api/items/: Create a new item (authenticated users only)
• PATCH ${BaseUrl}/api/items/<item_id>/: Update item details (owner only)
• DELETE ${BaseUrl}/api/items/<item_id>/: Delete an item (owner only)

Auctions

• GET ${BaseUrl}/api/auctions/: List all active auctions
• POST ${BaseUrl}/api/auctions/: Create a new auction (authenticated users only)
• PATCH ${BaseUrl}/api/auctions/<auction_id>/: Update auction details (owner only)
• DELETE ${BaseUrl}/api/auctions/<auction_id>/: Cancel an auction (owner only)

Bids

• POST ${BaseUrl}/api/auctions/<auction_id>/bid/: Place a bid on an auction
• GET ${BaseUrl}/api/auctions/<auction_id>/bid/: List all bids for an auction

Item Transfer

• POST ${BaseUrl}/api/auctions/<auction_id>/complete/: Transfer the item to the winner (completed auction)
• GET ${BaseUrl}/api/items/transfer/: View items that have been transferred

Usage

1. Register and Log In: First, register an account and log in to access the auction features.
2. List an Item: Use the /items/ endpoint to create an item you wish to auction.
3. Start an Auction: Use the /auctions/ endpoint to start an auction with a starting bid and an end time.
4. Place a Bid: Bidders can place bids on active auctions using the /auctions/<auction_id>/bid/ endpoint.
5. Complete Auction: After an auction ends, use the /complete/ endpoint to transfer the item to the winning bidder.
6. Receive Notifications: Get email notifications for auction updates, bid confirmations, and reminders.