AI API Proxy Development Environment

Essential Development Tools

Core tools every AI API proxy developer needs in their environment:

Runtime Environments

Node.js 18+ LTS
Python 3.9+
Docker Desktop
Docker Compose

API Testing

Postman or Insomnia
curl / httpie
HTTPie Desktop
Newman (CLI runner)

Code Quality

ESLint / Pylint
Prettier / Black
Git with GitFlow
Pre-commit hooks

IDE Configuration

VS Code Setup

Recommended extensions for API development:

Extension	Purpose	Configuration
REST Client	Test APIs directly in editor	Enable .http file support
Thunder Client	Postman alternative	Sync collections
Docker	Container management	Enable compose support
YAML	Configuration editing	Schema validation
GitLens	Git supercharged	Enable blame info
Error Lens	Inline error display	Show warnings inline

Recommended Settings

{
  "editor.formatOnSave": true,
  "editor.codeActionsOnSave": {
    "source.fixAll.eslint": true
  },
  "files.autoSave": "afterDelay",
  "files.autoSaveDelay": 1000,
  "editor.quickSuggestions": {
    "strings": true
  },
  "yaml.schemas": {
    "https://json.schemastore.org/docker-compose.json": "docker-compose*.yml"
  }
}

Environment Variables Management

Project Structure

project/
├── .env.example          # Template file (commit this)
├── .env                  # Local secrets (git-ignored)
├── .env.test             # Test environment
├── .env.production       # Production config
└── config/
    ├── development.yaml  # Non-secret config
    ├── test.yaml
    └── production.yaml

.env.example Template

# API Provider Keys
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-key-here
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-your-key-here

# Gateway Configuration
GATEWAY_PORT=8080
ADMIN_PORT=9090
LOG_LEVEL=debug

# Database
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://localhost:5432/gateway_dev
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379

# Security
JWT_SECRET=dev-secret-change-in-production
API_KEY_SALT=dev-salt

Security Best Practice Never commit .env files. Use .env.example as a template and inject secrets via CI/CD or secret management tools.

Testing Framework Setup

Unit Testing (Python)

# requirements-test.txt
pytest>=7.0.0
pytest-cov>=4.0.0
pytest-asyncio>=0.21.0
httpx>=0.24.0

# pytest.ini
[tool:pytest]
testpaths = tests
python_files = test_*.py
asyncio_mode = auto

Integration Testing

import pytest
from httpx import AsyncClient

@pytest.fixture
async def client():
    async with AsyncClient(base_url="http://localhost:8080") as client:
        yield client

async def test_health_endpoint(client):
    response = await client.get("/health/live")
    assert response.status_code == 200
    assert response.json()["status"] == "ok"

async def test_api_completion(client):
    response = await client.post(
        "/v1/completions",
        headers={"Authorization": "Bearer test-key"},
        json={"model": "gpt-3.5", "prompt": "Hello"}
    )
    assert response.status_code == 200

Development Workflow

Daily Development Cycle

Start environment: docker-compose up -d
Run tests: pytest tests/ -v
Make changes: Edit code with live reload enabled
Test manually: Use REST Client or Postman
Check logs: docker-compose logs -f api-gateway
Run linting: eslint . or pylint src/
Commit changes: Git commit with meaningful message
Push to branch: Create PR for code review

Git Branching Strategy

main: Production-ready code
develop: Integration branch
feature/*: New features
bugfix/*: Bug fixes
hotfix/*: Critical production fixes

Debugging Tools

Logging Configuration

import logging

logging.basicConfig(
    level=logging.DEBUG,
    format='%(asctime)s - %(name)s - %(levelname)s - %(message)s',
    handlers=[
        logging.FileHandler('logs/gateway.log'),
        logging.StreamHandler()
    ]
)

# Enable HTTP request logging
logging.getLogger("httpx").setLevel(logging.DEBUG)
logging.getLogger("uvicorn").setLevel(logging.DEBUG)

Useful Debug Commands

# View real-time logs
docker-compose logs -f --tail=100 api-gateway

# Check process status
docker-compose top

# Inspect network
docker network ls
docker network inspect project_default

# Debug inside container
docker-compose exec api-gateway sh

# Check resource usage
docker stats