> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://task-social.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Getting Started

> Start using the TaskSocial API

# Getting Started

Welcome to the TaskSocial API.

TaskSocial provides a REST API for creating accounts, authenticating users, and creating and managing accountability tasks.

This guide walks you through the basic flow of using the API.

## API Base URL

During local development, the API runs at:

```text theme={null}
http://localhost:4000
```

All API endpoints are available under the `/api/v1` path.

For example:

```text theme={null}
POST http://localhost:4000/api/v1/auth/register
```

## What You Can Do

With the TaskSocial API, you can:

* Create a user account
* Log in and authenticate
* Create tasks
* View your tasks
* View the shared task feed
* Update your tasks
* Delete your tasks
* Log out

## Typical API Flow

A typical session looks like this:

```text theme={null}
Register
   ↓
Login
   ↓
Authentication cookie is created
   ↓
Make authenticated requests
   ↓
Create and manage tasks
   ↓
Logout
```

## 1. Create an Account

First, register a new user using:

```http theme={null}
POST /api/v1/auth/register
```

Example request:

```json theme={null}
{
  "username": "shahzeb",
  "email": "shahzeb@example.com",
  "password": "password123"
}
```

If registration is successful, the API returns the newly created user's information.

## 2. Log In

After creating an account, log in using:

```http theme={null}
POST /api/v1/auth/login
```

Example request:

```json theme={null}
{
  "email": "shahzeb@example.com",
  "password": "password123"
}
```

The server verifies the credentials and creates a JWT.

The JWT is stored in an HttpOnly `tokenName` cookie.

You don't need to manually create an API key.

## 3. Use Protected Endpoints

After logging in, authenticated requests use the `tokenName` cookie.

For example:

```http theme={null}
GET /api/v1/tasks/my-tasks
```

The backend reads and verifies the JWT before allowing the request to continue.

```text theme={null}
Request
   ↓
tokenName cookie
   ↓
JWT verification
   ↓
Authenticated user
   ↓
Controller
   ↓
Response
```

## 4. Create a Task

Once authenticated, you can create a task:

```http theme={null}
POST /api/v1/tasks/create
```

Example request:

```json theme={null}
{
  "title": "Finish API documentation",
  "description": "Complete the TaskSocial API documentation"
}
```

The task is associated with the authenticated user.

## 5. Manage Your Tasks

You can then use the task endpoints to:

* Get your tasks
* View the shared task feed
* Update a task
* Delete a task

See the **API Reference** for the complete list of endpoints, request schemas, responses, and examples.

## 6. Log Out

When you're finished, use:

```http theme={null}
POST /api/v1/auth/logout
```

The server clears the authentication cookie.

## What's Next?

Now that you understand the basic API flow, continue with:

* **Authentication** — understand how JWT authentication and HttpOnly cookies work.
* **Creating Your First Task** — create and manage a task step by step.
* **API Testing** — test the API using Postman.