FINGERPRINT ATTENDANCE SYSTEM - API

A RESTful API built with Flask for managing student fingerprint-based attendance tracking. It supports role-based access control via JWT and API key authentication.

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Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+
• PostgreSQL
• pip

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Installation

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/davidleonstr/fingerprints-api.git
cd fingerprints-api

2. Create and activate a virtual environment

python -m venv venv

# Linux / macOS
source venv/bin/activate

# Windows
venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

If requirements.txt is missing, install manually:

pip install flask flask-sqlalchemy psycopg2-binary pydantic python-dotenv pyjwt bcrypt

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Database Setup

1. Create the PostgreSQL database

Use this repository.

git clone https://github.com/davidleonstr/fingerprints-db.git

2. Make sure your PostgreSQL user has access

The default config expects:

• User: postgres
• Password: root
• Host: localhost
• Port: 5432
• Database: fingerprints

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Environment Configuration

Create a .env file at the root of the project:

API_HOST='localhost'
API_PORT=9000
API_KEY='your-api-key-here'
SQLALCHEMY_DATABASE_URI='postgresql://postgres:root@localhost:5432/fingerprints'
SQLALCHEMY_TRACK_MODIFICATIONS=False
JWT_SECRET='your-jwt-secret-here'
PASSWORD_SALT='your-bcrypt-salt-here'

To generate a bcrypt salt for PASSWORD_SALT, run:

import bcrypt
print(bcrypt.gensalt().decode('utf-8'))

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Running the API

python main.py

The server will start at http://localhost:9000 by default.

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First-Time System Setup

On a fresh database, you need to initialize the system by creating the owner interactor.

1. Check if the system is blank

GET /v1/system/blank
x-api-key: your-api-key-here

Returns "true" if no interactors exist yet.

2. Create the owner account

POST /v1/system/owner
x-api-key: your-api-key-here
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "username": "owner",
  "password": "your-password"
}

This endpoint is only available when the system is blank and automatically assigns the highest-level role.

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Authentication

All endpoints (except /v1/status/) require an API key header:

x-api-key: your-api-key-here

Most endpoints also require a Bearer JWT token:

Authorization: Bearer <token>

To obtain a token:

POST /v1/auth/
x-api-key: your-api-key-here
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "username": "owner",
  "password": "your-password"
}

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Permission Levels

Level	Description
1	Read-only
2	Moderator
3	Admin
4	Owner

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API Overview

Resource	Base URL
Status	/v1/status/
Auth	/v1/auth/
System	/v1/system/
Entities	/v1/entity/
Interactors	/v1/interactor/
Students	/v1/student/
Roles	/v1/role/
Permission Levels	/v1/permission-level/
Attendance	/v1/attendance/
Attendance Day Times	/v1/attendance-day-time/
Attendance Methods	/v1/attendance-method/
Fingerprints	/v1/fingerprint/
Fingerprint Names	/v1/fingerprint-name/
Fingerprint Types	/v1/fingerprint-type/

All resources support standard CRUD operations (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) where applicable.