Getting Started with Rhesis Backend

Set up and run the backend locally for development.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following installed:

• Python 3.10 or higher
• PostgreSQL 13 or higher
• UV  package installer
• Git

Clone the Repository

git clone <repository_url>
cd rhesis

Environment Setup

1. Navigate to the backend directory:

cd apps/backend

2. Create a Python virtual environment:

python -m venv .venv

3. Activate the virtual environment:

On Linux/macOS:

source .venv/bin/activate

On Windows:

.venvScriptsactivate

4. Install dependencies using UV:

uv pip install -e .

Database Setup

1. Create a PostgreSQL database:

createdb rhesis

2. Create a .env file based on the provided template:

cp .env.example .env

3. Update the database connection string in .env:

SQLALCHEMY_DATABASE_URL=postgresql://username:password@localhost:5432/rhesis

4. Run database migrations:

alembic upgrade head

Running the Application

1. Start the FastAPI server:

uvicorn rhesis.backend.app.main:app --reload

The API will be available at http://localhost:8000 

2. Open the API documentation:

• Swagger UI: http://localhost:8000/docs 
• ReDoc: http://localhost:8000/redoc 

Running Background Tasks

1. Start a Celery worker:

celery -A rhesis.backend.worker worker --loglevel=info

Development Workflow

Code Formatting

Format code using ruff:

uv run --all-groups ruff format .

Linting

Run the linter:

uv run --all-groups ruff check .

Fix linting issues automatically:

uv run --all-groups ruff check --fix .

Running Tests

Run the test suite:

pytest

Authentication Setup

For local development, Quick Start mode provides automatic authentication bypass. For production-like setup, configure the authentication system:

Authentication Configuration

Update the authentication settings in your .env file:

# JWT Configuration (required)
JWT_SECRET_KEY=your-jwt-secret-key
JWT_ALGORITHM=HS256
JWT_ACCESS_TOKEN_EXPIRE_MINUTES=15

# OAuth Providers (optional - enables social login)
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your-google-client-id
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=your-google-client-secret
GH_CLIENT_ID=your-github-client-id
GH_CLIENT_SECRET=your-github-client-secret

API Endpoints

Once the application is running, you can explore the available endpoints through the Swagger UI at http://localhost:8000/docs .

Next Steps

• Use /docs to explore the API
• See Architecture and Development workflow in this section for patterns and conventions