vmall/docs/tech-specs/rust-api.md

Rust API tech spec

Companion to ADR 0001 and ADR 0002. This document describes the current vmall-api layout and the rules new code must follow. HTTP behavior for each domain remains in openspec/specs/ (auth, catalog, cart, order, …).

Context and motivation

Handlers previously mixed Axum extracts, business rules, and sqlx. The crate is now a modular monolith so checkout, fulfillment, and identity can be shared across the three role surfaces without changing REST URLs or JSON.

Goals:

• One crate, one process, Postgres + Redis.
• Handler → service → repository (or store) per bounded context.
• Stable REST contract for @vmall/shared and HTTP integration tests.

Non-goals:

• GraphQL as the primary API (ADR 0002).
• Hexagonal ports/adapters, a generic Repository trait, or a second web framework.
• Changing error envelope, money representation, or RBAC roles.

Implementation considerations

• Crate: apps/api, package vmall-api, Axum 0.8, sqlx 0.8, Redis connection manager.
• Migrations: apps/api/migrations/, append-only; run on boot against a single PgPool shared with the server (see main.rs + state::assemble).
• Money: i64 minor units + ISO code; money::convert_minor is a pure function, not a repository.
• SQL: sqlx::query* / query_as with explicit binds. Prefer column lists over SELECT * on users (use USER_COLUMNS + User row vs UserPublic JSON).
• State machines: UPDATE … WHERE status = …; zero rows → ApiError::Conflict, never a silent no-op success.
• RBAC: AuthUser::require, require_customer, require_admin, require_shop / own_shop. Cross-shop resource access is 404, not 403.

High-level request flow

Nuxt + @vmall/shared  →  Handler (Axum)
                      →  Service (use case)
                      →  Repo / cart store
                      →  Postgres | Redis

1. Handler extracts State<AppState>, AuthUser, path/query/JSON.
2. Handler maps HTTP-only concerns (StatusCode::CREATED) after the service returns ApiResult<Dto>.
3. Service opens transactions when more than one write must commit together (checkout, default address, shipment create).
4. Repository functions take &PgPool, &mut PgConnection, or &mut Transaction so a service can compose them.

Module map

Module	Bounded context	Typical routes
identity	Auth, users, role assignment	/auth/*, /admin/users
catalog	Products, SKUs, categories, brands	/products, /shop/products, /brands
cart	Redis cart + purchasable snapshots	/cart
order	Checkout, pay, cancel, lists by scope	/orders, /shop/orders, /admin/orders
fulfillment	Shipments, delivery confirmation	/shipments, /shop/shipments
billing	Invoice request / issue	/invoices, /shop/invoices
address	Customer address book	/addresses
shop	Shop CRUD, profiles, /shop/profile	/shops, /admin/shops
content	Home banners / promos / links	/content/home, /admin/content
currency	Rates and convert	/currencies
health	Liveness / readiness	/health, /ready

Each module typically contains mod.rs, handlers.rs, service.rs, and optionally repo.rs / dto.rs / store.rs. Merge routers in modules::api_router().

Shared types live in models.rs (sqlx FromRow + enums). API-facing user JSON is UserPublic (no password_hash).

Error handling

ApiError serializes as {"error":{"code","message"}}:

Variant	HTTP	code
NotFound	404	NOT_FOUND
BadRequest	400	BAD_REQUEST
Unauthorized	401	UNAUTHORIZED
Forbidden	403	FORBIDDEN
Conflict	409	CONFLICT
Internal	500	INTERNAL (generic message; details in logs)

From<sqlx::Error>: RowNotFound → 404; unique / check violations → 409. Domain-specific unique messages use unique_conflict(err, "email already registered").

Future-proofing

• New capabilities get a new or existing modules/<ctx> plus OpenSpec; they do not add SQL to handlers.
• A later read-only GraphQL surface would sit beside REST and call the same services.
• Compile-time query_as! may replace string SQL incrementally; it is not required for new queries.

Testing approach

• HTTP contract: apps/api/tests/*.rs via tests/common/mod.rs (spawn_app, unique slugs). These tests are the REST regression gate.
• Service: tests/order_service.rs (and similar) call services with spawn_state() — empty cart, stock 409, split-by-shop, illegal status transitions.
• Pure functions: money, http::pagination unit tests in-module.

Acceptance criteria

• New write use cases live in a service; handlers do not embed sqlx except trivial reads if a service would be empty ceremony.
• cargo test -p vmall-api stays green and repeatable against vmall_test + Redis.
• REST paths and JSON shapes used by @vmall/shared do not change without an OpenSpec change.