Address Validation Service

This is a simple address validation service for the Postaci application, designed to validate Swiss addresses.

Features

Validates and formats Swiss addresses
Extracts street name, house number, postal code, and city
Identifies Swiss cantons based on postal code prefixes
Provides confidence scores for validation results
Returns standardized address format
Mock street lookup for testing

Setup & Running

Install dependencies:
```
npm install
```
Start the server:
```
npm start
```
For development with auto-restart:
```
npm run dev
```

Starting the Development Environment

A startup script has been created to launch both the validation service and the Next.js application:

# From the project root
./start-dev.sh

This will:

Start the validation service in the background
Launch the Next.js application
Automatically stop the validation service when Next.js is terminated

API Endpoints

Validate Address

URL: /api/validate-address
Method: POST
Body: { "address": "Your address string" }
Response: Returns a formatted address string if valid, or the original address if validation fails

Detailed Address Validation

URL: /api/validate-address/detailed
Method: POST
Body: { "address": "Your address string" }
Response: Returns a detailed validation result with components, confidence score, and validity

Address Lookup (Mock)

URL: /api/address-lookup
Method: GET
Query Parameters: postalCode or city
Response: Returns a list of streets for the given postal code or city

Health Check

URL: /api/health
Method: GET
Response: { "status": "up", "message": "Address validation service is running" }

Testing the Service

You can test the service using curl:

# Health check
curl http://localhost:8000/api/health

# Validate an address
curl -X POST http://localhost:8000/api/validate-address \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"address": "Luzernstrasse 27, 4552 Derendingen"}'

# Get detailed validation
curl -X POST http://localhost:8000/api/validate-address/detailed \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"address": "Luzernstrasse 27, 4552 Derendingen"}'

# Get streets in Zürich
curl "http://localhost:8000/api/address-lookup?postalCode=8000"

Swiss Address Format

The validation service understands the standard Swiss address format:

Street name + house number (e.g., "Bahnhofstrasse 10")
Four-digit postal code + city (e.g., "8001 Zürich")
Canton identification from postal code prefix