API Endpoint: GET /tracks/artist/{artist_name}

Relevant source files

The following files were used as context for generating this wiki page:

• app/api.py
• app/database.py
• app/track.py
• test/test_api.py
• test/test_database.py
• README.md

The GET /tracks/artist/{artist_name} endpoint is a core component of the Spotify API Data Collector's web interface. Its primary purpose is to allow users to query the local SQLite database for tracks associated with a specific artist. This endpoint facilitates targeted data retrieval from the collection of music metadata gathered from the Spotify Web API.

Within the project architecture, this endpoint serves as a read-only interface to the indexed tracks table. It supports case-insensitive searching and result limiting to optimize performance and usability for downstream analysis or user interfaces.

Architecture and Data Flow

The endpoint follows a standard FastAPI path operation structure, interacting with the database layer to fetch records. When a request is received, the system retrieves a database connection and executes a case-insensitive SQL query against the artist_name column.

Request Flow

The following sequence diagram illustrates the interaction between the Client, the FastAPI application, and the SQLite database during a request to this endpoint.

Endpoint Specification

The endpoint is defined in app/api.py and is configured to return a dictionary containing the artist's name, the count of tracks found, and the list of track objects.

Path and Query Parameters

Parameter	Type	Location	Description
artist_name	string	Path	The name of the artist to search for (exact match, case-insensitive).
limit	integer	Query	Optional. Max results to return (1-1000).

Sources: app/api.py:164-173, README.md:126-130

Response Structure

The response is a JSON object with the following fields:

• artist_name: The name provided in the request.
• count: The number of tracks returned in the current response after applying limits.
• tracks: An array of track objects containing metadata such as track_name, track_popularity, and album_name.

Sources: app/api.py:182-187

Database Logic and Performance

The endpoint relies on a specific database function, get_tracks_by_artist, located in app/database.py. To ensure high performance even with large datasets, the system utilizes a database index on the artist_name column.

SQL Implementation

The underlying query uses the LOWER() function on both the column and the input parameter to ensure case-insensitive matching. Results are ordered by track_popularity in descending order.

def get_tracks_by_artist(db: Database, artist_name: str) -> list[dict]:
    """Récupère tous les tracks d'un artiste donné (insensible à la casse)."""
    query = "SELECT * FROM tracks WHERE LOWER(artist_name) = LOWER(?) ORDER BY track_popularity DESC"
    return db.execute(query, (artist_name,))

Sources: app/database.py:108-111

Data Indexing

An index named idx_tracks_artist_name is created during database initialization to accelerate these specific lookups.

Testing and Validation

The functionality of this endpoint is validated through comprehensive tests in test/test_api.py and test/test_api_extended.py. These tests ensure that:

1. The endpoint returns the correct status code (200 OK) for valid artists.
2. The search is truly case-insensitive (e.g., searching for "test artist" matches "Test Artist").
3. The limit parameter correctly restricts the number of items in the tracks list.
4. Empty results are handled gracefully when an artist does not exist in the database.

Sources: test/test_api.py:186-231, test/test_api_extended.py:68-79

Summary

The GET /tracks/artist/{artist_name} endpoint provides a reliable and efficient way to filter the collected Spotify dataset by artist. By leveraging SQLite indexing and case-insensitive SQL queries, it maintains performance while providing flexible access to music metadata.