Learnify Backend API

Features • Tech Stack • Getting Started • API Docs • Architecture • Repository

📝 Description

Learnify API is a comprehensive, production-ready backend solution for building modern e-learning platforms. Built with .NET 9 and following Clean Architecture principles, it provides a robust, scalable, and maintainable foundation for online education systems.

This API powers a complete learning management system with features including:

Multi-tenant user management with role-based access control (Admin, Instructor, Student)
Complete course lifecycle from creation to certification
Dual payment processing via Stripe and manual payment workflows with admin approval
Advanced security with JWT authentication, refresh tokens, 2FA (Email, Authenticator App, Backup Codes), and Google OAuth
Real-time video streaming and progress tracking with resume functionality
AI-powered learning assistance via HuggingFace integration
Enterprise-grade observability with structured logging, health checks, and performance monitoring

Whether you're building a corporate training platform, an online academy, or a MOOC system, Learnify provides the battle-tested backend infrastructure you need.

📖 Overview

Learnify is designed as a scalable e-learning platform backend that handles everything from user authentication to payment processing and course delivery. The system is built around these core modules:

🔐 Authentication & Security

JWT-based authentication with configurable token expiry and automatic refresh token rotation
OTP email verification for account activation and password reset flows
Two-factor authentication supporting Email codes, Authenticator apps (TOTP), and Backup recovery codes
Google OAuth integration for seamless social login
Rate limiting on sensitive endpoints (login, payments, file uploads)
Role-based authorization with granular permission control

📚 Learning Management

Hierarchical course structure: Courses → Sections → Lectures
Video content delivery via Cloudinary with adaptive streaming
Lecture progress tracking with resume playback functionality
Course ratings and reviews with moderation capabilities
Course bookmarking for students' learning lists
Category-based course organization with slug-based URLs
Certificate generation upon course completion

💳 Payment Processing

Stripe integration for seamless card payments with checkout sessions
Manual payment system with proof upload and admin approval workflow
Shopping cart functionality for multi-course purchases
Coupon and discount system with usage tracking
Instructor payout system with Stripe Connect integration
Invoice generation for completed transactions

📊 Analytics & Reporting

Instructor dashboard with enrollment analytics and revenue tracking
Course performance metrics including completion rates and ratings
Admin reports with platform-wide statistics
Monthly trend analysis for business insights

⚙️ Enterprise Features

Serilog structured logging with Console, File, and Seq sinks
Hangfire background jobs for email sending, cleanup tasks, and scheduled operations
Health checks for Database, Redis, Stripe, Cloudinary, and Email services
API versioning for backward compatibility
CQRS pattern with MediatR for clean command/query separation

✨ Features

🎓 Learning Management System

Feature	Description
Course Creation	Full course builder with sections, lectures, and video uploads
Video Streaming	Cloudinary-powered video delivery with adaptive bitrate
Progress Tracking	Lecture-level progress with resume playback position
Certificates	Automatic certificate generation upon completion
Ratings & Reviews	5-star rating system with written reviews
Bookmarks	Save courses to personal learning lists
Category System	Organize courses with hierarchical categories
Search & Filter	Advanced course discovery with pagination

👥 User Management

Feature	Description
Multi-role System	Admin, Instructor, and Student roles with distinct permissions
Profile Management	User profiles with avatar upload and personal info
JWT Authentication	Secure token-based auth with refresh token rotation
Two-Factor Auth	Email, Authenticator App, and Backup Codes support
Google OAuth	One-click social login integration
Email Verification	OTP-based email verification flow
Password Recovery	Secure password reset with expiring tokens
Account Banning	Admin ability to ban/unban users

💰 Payment & Commerce

Feature	Description
Stripe Payments	Full Stripe integration with checkout sessions
Manual Payments	Alternative payment with proof upload
Payment Approval	Admin workflow for manual payment verification
Shopping Cart	Multi-item cart with real-time totals
Coupon System	Discount codes with usage limits and expiry
Instructor Payouts	Stripe Connect for instructor withdrawals
Invoice Generation	Detailed invoices for all transactions
Refund Handling	Admin-managed refund processing

👨‍🏫 Instructor Tools

Feature	Description
Course Analytics	Detailed enrollment and revenue statistics
Student Management	View enrolled students and their progress
Payout Management	Request and track earnings withdrawals
Stripe Connect	Full onboarding for direct bank payouts
Revenue Dashboard	Real-time earnings and trend analysis

🛡️ Admin Dashboard

Feature	Description
User Management	View, ban, and manage all platform users
Course Moderation	Approve, reject, and manage course publications
Payment Oversight	Review and process manual payments
Platform Analytics	Overall statistics and growth metrics
Payment Settings	Enable/disable payment methods dynamically
Withdrawal Approvals	Process instructor withdrawal requests

🤖 AI Features

Feature	Description
AI Chat Assistant	HuggingFace-powered learning assistant
Smart Recommendations	Course suggestions based on interests

🔧 Enterprise & Operations

Feature	Description
Structured Logging	Serilog with Console, File, and Seq sinks
Background Jobs	Hangfire for async task processing
Health Monitoring	Comprehensive health check endpoints
Rate Limiting	Protection against abuse and DDoS
API Versioning	Backward-compatible API evolution
Email Templates	Branded HTML email notifications
Performance Logging	Request timing and slow query detection

🏗️ Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                           LEARNIFY BACKEND API                              │
│                          Clean Architecture Design                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                             │
│  ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │                    🌐 Presentation Layer (API)                        │  │
│  │  ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐  │  │
│  │  │ Controllers │ │ Middleware  │ │ Rate Limit  │ │ Health Checks   │  │  │
│  │  │   (25)      │ │ Exception   │ │ Policies    │ │ DB/Redis/Stripe │  │  │
│  │  └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────────┘  │  │
│  │  REST API (v1) • Scalar API Docs • JWT Auth • API Versioning          │  │
│  └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
│                                      │                                      │
│  ┌───────────────────────────────────▼───────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │                  📋 Application Layer (CQRS)                          │  │
│  │  ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐  │  │
│  │  │  Commands   │ │   Queries   │ │    DTOs     │ │   Validators    │  │  │
│  │  │ CreateUser  │ │ GetCourses  │ │  Requests   │ │ FluentValidation│  │  │
│  │  │ EnrollUser  │ │ GetPayments │ │  Responses  │ │ Business Rules  │  │  │
│  │  └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────────┘  │  │
│  │  MediatR Handlers • AutoMapper Profiles • Pipeline Behaviors         │  │
│  └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
│                                      │                                      │
│  ┌───────────────────────────────────▼───────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │                  🏛️ Domain Layer (Core)                               │  │
│  │  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │  │
│  │  │                      Entities (23 Total)                        │  │  │
│  │  │  ApplicationUser • Course • Section • Lecture • Enrollment      │  │  │
│  │  │  Payment • Cart • CartItem • Category • Coupon • Invoice        │  │  │
│  │  │  LectureProgress • CourseRating • UserBookmark • InstructorPayout│ │  │
│  │  │  ManualPaymentRequest • ManualPaymentMethod • SystemSetting     │  │  │
│  │  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │  │
│  │  Enums • Value Objects • Domain Events                                │  │
│  └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
│                                      │                                      │
│  ┌───────────────────────────────────▼───────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │               🔌 Infrastructure Layer (External Concerns)             │  │
│  │  ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐  │  │
│  │  │ EF Core 9   │ │Repositories │ │  Services   │ │  Background     │  │  │
│  │  │ DbContext   │ │ Generic +   │ │ Cloudinary  │ │  Hangfire Jobs  │  │  │
│  │  │ Migrations  │ │ Specialized │ │ Stripe API  │ │  Email Queue    │  │  │
│  │  └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────────┘  │  │
│  │  Identity • JWT Service • Email Service • TOTP Service               │  │
│  └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
│                                                                             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                         🔗 External Services                                │
│  ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐         │
│  │SQL Server│ │  Redis   │ │Cloudinary│ │  Stripe  │ │HuggingFace│         │
│  │  (Data)  │ │ (Cache)  │ │ (Media)  │ │(Payments)│ │   (AI)    │         │
│  └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘         │
│  ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐                                   │
│  │   Seq    │ │  Gmail   │ │  Google  │                                   │
│  │(Logging) │ │  (SMTP)  │ │  OAuth   │                                   │
│  └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘                                   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Architectural Patterns

Pattern	Implementation
Clean Architecture	4-layer separation: API → Application → Domain → Infrastructure
CQRS	Commands and Queries separated via MediatR handlers
Repository Pattern	Generic and specialized repositories for data access
Unit of Work	EF Core DbContext manages transaction boundaries
Dependency Injection	Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection throughout
Options Pattern	Strongly-typed configuration binding
Middleware Pipeline	Request/response pipeline for cross-cutting concerns

🛠️ Tech Stack

Core Framework

Technology	Version	Purpose
.NET	9.0	Runtime and SDK
ASP.NET Core	9.0	Web framework
C#	13.0	Programming language
Entity Framework Core	9.0	ORM and migrations

Database & Caching

Technology	Purpose
SQL Server	Primary relational database
Redis	Distributed caching
ASP.NET Core Identity	User and role management

API & Documentation

Technology	Purpose
Scalar	Modern API documentation UI
Asp.Versioning	API version management
FluentValidation	Request validation
AutoMapper	Object-to-object mapping

Background Processing & Logging

Technology	Purpose
Hangfire	Background job scheduling
Serilog	Structured logging
Seq	Log aggregation and search

External Services

Service	Purpose
Stripe	Payment processing & Connect payouts
Cloudinary	Video/image hosting and streaming
HuggingFace	AI chat assistance
Google OAuth	Social authentication
Gmail SMTP	Email notifications

Application Patterns

Library	Purpose
MediatR	CQRS and pipeline behaviors
FluentValidation	Input validation rules
AutoMapper	DTO mapping automation

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

.NET 9.0 SDK - Download
SQL Server (or LocalDB for development)
Redis (optional, for distributed caching)
Stripe Account - Sign up
Cloudinary Account - Sign up

1. Clone & Install

git clone https://github.com/AhmedV20/Learnify.git
cd Learnify/src/Learnify.Api
dotnet restore

2. Configure

Create appsettings.Development.json with the following essential settings:

{
  "ConnectionStrings": {
    "DefaultConnection": "Server=(localdb)\\mssqllocaldb;Database=LearnifyDb;Trusted_Connection=True;TrustServerCertificate=True;",
    "Redis": "localhost:6379"
  },
  "JWT": {
    "ValidAudience": "Learnify_Users",
    "ValidIssuer": "Learnify_Api",
    "Secret": "YOUR_JWT_SECRET_KEY_MINIMUM_64_CHARACTERS_FOR_SECURITY",
    "TokenExpiryHours": 168
  },
  "Stripe": {
    "SecretKey": "sk_test_YOUR_STRIPE_SECRET_KEY",
    "PublishableKey": "pk_test_YOUR_STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY",
    "WebhookSecret": "whsec_YOUR_WEBHOOK_SECRET"
  },
  "Cloudinary": {
    "CloudName": "YOUR_CLOUD_NAME",
    "ApiKey": "YOUR_API_KEY",
    "ApiSecret": "YOUR_API_SECRET"
  },
  "Email": {
    "SmtpServer": "smtp.gmail.com",
    "SmtpPort": 587,
    "SenderEmail": "your-email@gmail.com",
    "SenderName": "Learnify",
    "SenderPassword": "YOUR_EMAIL_APP_PASSWORD"
  },
  "Google": {
    "ClientId": "YOUR_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID.apps.googleusercontent.com"
  },
  "HuggingFace:ApiKey": "YOUR_HUGGINGFACE_API_KEY",
  "App": {
    "BaseUrl": "http://localhost:5279"
  }
}

Note: For Gmail, use an App Password instead of your regular password.

3. Run Database Migrations

dotnet ef database update --project ../Learnify.Infrastructure

4. Start the API

dotnet run

5. Access the Application

Endpoint	URL	Description
API Base	http://localhost:5279	REST API endpoint
Scalar API Docs	http://localhost:5279/scalar/v1	Interactive documentation
Hangfire Dashboard	http://localhost:5279/hangfire	Background jobs monitor
Health Check	http://localhost:5279/health	System health status
Health Check (Detailed)	http://localhost:5279/health/details	Detailed health report

📚 API Documentation

Interactive API documentation is available at /scalar/v1 when the application is running. Below are the key endpoint groups. For a complete list, see the live Scalar documentation.

Note: The API has 25 controllers with 100+ endpoints. Only the most important ones are shown below.

🔐 Authentication (`/api/v1/users`)

Method	Endpoint	Description	Auth
`POST`	`/register`	Register a new user account	❌
`POST`	`/login`	Authenticate and receive JWT tokens	❌
`POST`	`/verify-2fa`	Verify 2FA code during login	❌
`POST`	`/google-login`	Sign in with Google OAuth	❌
`POST`	`/verify-otp`	Verify email with OTP	❌
`POST`	`/forgot-password`	Request password reset OTP	❌
`POST`	`/set-new-password`	Set new password with reset token	❌
`GET`	`/profile`	Get current user profile	✅
`PUT`	`/profile`	Update user profile	✅

📚 Courses (`/api/v1/courses`)

Method	Endpoint	Description	Auth
`GET`	`/`	List all courses (paginated)	❌
`GET`	`/{id}`	Get course details	❌
`GET`	`/{id}/learn`	Get course with full content	✅
`POST`	`/`	Create new course	✅ Admin
`PUT`	`/{id}`	Update course	✅
`DELETE`	`/{id}`	Delete course	✅
`GET`	`/category`	Get courses by category	❌

📝 Enrollments (`/api/v1/enrollments`)

Method	Endpoint	Description	Auth
`GET`	`/user`	Get current user's enrollments	✅
`GET`	`/check/{courseId}`	Check enrollment status	✅
`POST`	`/`	Create enrollment	✅
`DELETE`	`/{id}`	Delete enrollment	✅

💳 Payments (`/api/v1/payments`)

Method	Endpoint	Description	Auth
`GET`	`/settings`	Get payment settings	✅
`POST`	`/checkout-session`	Create Stripe checkout	✅
`POST`	`/verify-payment/{sessionId}`	Verify and process payment	✅
`GET`	`/my-payments`	Get user's payment history	✅

👨‍🏫 Instructor (`/api/v1/instructor`)

Method	Endpoint	Description	Auth
`GET`	`/balance`	Get earnings balance	✅
`GET`	`/payouts`	Get payout history	✅
`POST`	`/request-withdrawal`	Request funds withdrawal	✅
`POST`	`/create-stripe-account`	Setup Stripe Connect	✅
`GET`	`/stripe-connect-status`	Get Stripe account status	✅

🛡️ Admin (`/api/v1/admin`)

Method	Endpoint	Description	Auth
`GET`	`/dashboard-stats`	Get platform statistics	✅ Admin
`GET`	`/users`	List all users	✅ Admin
`PATCH`	`/users/{id}/ban`	Ban user	✅ Admin
`GET`	`/courses`	List all courses (admin)	✅ Admin
`PATCH`	`/courses/{id}/approve`	Approve course	✅ Admin
`GET`	`/withdrawal-requests`	List withdrawal requests	✅ Admin
`PUT`	`/withdrawal-requests/{id}/approve`	Approve withdrawal	✅ Admin

📊 Additional Endpoints

The API also includes endpoints for:

Two-Factor Auth - Email, Authenticator App, Backup Codes setup
Sections & Lectures - Course content management with video upload
Lecture Progress - Track watch position and completion
Shopping Cart - Add/remove courses from cart
Manual Payments - Alternative payment with proof upload
Course Ratings - Reviews and ratings system
Categories - Course organization
Bookmarks - Save courses for later
Coupons - Discount codes
Analytics - Instructor revenue and enrollment stats
AI Chat - HuggingFace-powered learning assistant
Health Checks - System monitoring

📁 Project Structure

src/
├── Learnify.Api/                     # 🌐 Presentation Layer
│   ├── Controllers/                  # 25 REST API controllers
│   │   ├── UsersController.cs        # Authentication & profile
│   │   ├── CoursesController.cs      # Course management
│   │   ├── PaymentsController.cs     # Payment processing
│   │   ├── AdminController.cs        # Admin operations
│   │   └── ...                       # + 21 more controllers
│   ├── Extensions/                   # DI & service configuration
│   ├── Health/                       # Health check implementations
│   ├── Middleware/                   # Exception handling, logging
│   └── RateLimiting/                 # Rate limit policies
│
├── Learnify.Application/             # 📋 Business Logic Layer
│   ├── Users/                        # Auth commands & queries
│   ├── Courses/                      # Course CQRS operations
│   ├── Enrollments/                  # Enrollment logic
│   ├── Payments/                     # Payment processing
│   ├── Common/                       # Interfaces, pagination, behaviors
│   ├── Mappings/                     # AutoMapper profiles
│   └── ...                           # + 15 more feature modules
│
├── Learnify.Domain/                  # 🏛️ Core Domain
│   ├── Entities/                     # 23 domain entities
│   │   ├── ApplicationUser.cs        # Extended Identity user
│   │   ├── Course.cs                 # Course aggregate root
│   │   ├── Enrollment.cs             # Student enrollments
│   │   ├── Payment.cs                # Payment records
│   │   └── ...                       # + 19 more entities
│   └── Enums/                        # Domain enumerations
│
└── Learnify.Infrastructure/          # 🔌 External Concerns
    ├── Data/                         # EF Core DbContext & migrations
    ├── Repositories/                 # Data access implementations
    ├── Services/                     # Cloudinary, Stripe, Email
    ├── BackgroundJobs/               # Hangfire job implementations
    └── Seed/                         # Database seeding

Note: For detailed file listings, browse the repository on GitHub.

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Here's how to get started:

Fork the repository
Clone your fork: git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/Learnify.git
Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature
Make your changes and ensure the project builds
Commit using Conventional Commits: git commit -m 'feat: add amazing feature'
Push to your branch: git push origin feature/amazing-feature
Open a Pull Request against the develop branch

Guidelines

Follow Microsoft's C# Coding Conventions
Write meaningful commit messages
Add/update tests for new features
Update documentation as needed

See CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines and docs/GIT_WORKFLOW.md for branching strategy.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Built with ❤️ using .NET 9

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