# Alt-Text Backend
A [OpenAPI documented](https://learn.openapis.org/) REST API for the [Alt-Text Project](https://github.com/EbookFoundation/alt-text).
Developed as a Computer Science Senior Design Project at [Stevens Institute of Technology](https://www.stevens.edu/) in collaboration with the [Free Ebook Foundation](https://ebookfoundation.org/).
[Learn more about the developers](#the-deveolpers).
## Getting Started
### Installation
#### Alt-Text PyPi Package
You'll first need to install the PyPi package for the [Alt-Text Project](https://github.com/EbookFoundation/alt-text).
You can find the PyPi package [here](https://pypi.org/project/alt-text/). To install the package via, you can execute the following in a terminal for your respective system...
Windows
`py -m pip install alt-text`
Unix/MacOS
`python3 -m pip install alt-text`
#### Postgres
The Alt-Text Backend needs an instance of [Postgres](https://www.postgresql.org/) to operate. You can use one hosted elsewhere or [download Postgres](https://www.postgresql.org/download/).
#### Backend Dependencies
Make sure to install all the required PyPi dependencies for the backend using the following...
Windows
`py -m pip install -r requirements.txt`
Unix/MacOS
`python3 -m pip install -r requirements.txt`
### Configuration
Before running the server, you'll need to start by configuring the settings of the server.
To start, rename the `.env.example` file to just `.env`.
#### Postgres Configuration
You'll need to change the database configuration settings to your appropriate credentials...
```bash
# DATABASE OPTIONS
DATABASE_NAME=postgres
DATABASE_HOST=127.0.0.1
DATABASE_USER=postgres
DATABASE_PASSWORD=testpassword
DATABASE_PORT=5432
```
#### General Analyzation Options
You can change the analyzation options to your liking...
```bash
## GENERAL OPTIONS
ALT_WITH_CONTEXT=1
ALT_WITH_HASH=1
ALT_MULTITHREADED=0
### ALT_VERSION OPTIONS: 1, 2
ALT_VERSION=2
```
#### Engine Options
The Alt-Text Backend requires that you have a Description, OCR, and Language Engine (info can be found at [Alt-Text Project README](https://github.com/EbookFoundation/alt-text)).
##### Selecting Engine Types
You must declare which engines you are using.
```bash
## DESC_ENGINE OPTIONS: replicateapi, bliplocal, googlevertexapi
DESC_ENGINE=replicateapi
## OCR_ENGINE OPTIONS: tesseract
OCR_ENGINE=tesseract
## LANG_ENGINE OPTIONS: privategpt, openaiapi
LANG_ENGINE=openaiapi
```
##### Configuring Engine Options
You must fulfill the options for the engines you're using.
```bash
# DESC_ENGINE CONFIG OPTIONS
## REPLICATEAPI
REPLICATE_KEY=r8_somekey
## BLIPLOCAL
BLIPLOCAL_DIR=/path/to/image-captioning
## GOOGLEVERTEXAPI
VERTEX_PROJECT_ID=example-123456
### VERTEX_LOCATION OPTIONS: https://cloud.google.com/vertex-ai/docs/general/locations
VERTEX_LOCATION=us-central1
VERTEX_GAC_PATH=/path/to/vertex-key.json
# OCR_ENGINE CONFIG OPTIONS
## TESSERACT
TESSERACT_PATH=/path/to/tesseract.exe
# LANG_ENGINE CONFIG OPTIONS
## OPENAIAPI
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-1234567890
### OPENAI_MODEL OPTIONS: https://platform.openai.com/docs/models
OPENAI_MODEL=gpt-3.5-turbo
## PRIVATEGPT
PRIVATEGPT_HOST=http://localhost:8001
```
### Starting the Server
You can start the server with the following...
`py manage.py runserver`
### Usage
You can see the all routes/features in the `openapi.yaml` file.
We'd recommend to use a visuallizer for it, such as [Swagger](https://editor.swagger.io/).
## Our Mission
The Alt-Text project is developed for the [Free Ebook Foundation](https://ebookfoundation.org/) as a Senior Design Project at [Stevens Institute of Technology](https://www.stevens.edu/).
As Ebooks become a more prominant way to consume written materials, it only becomes more important for them to be accessible to all people. Alternative text (aka alt-text) in Ebooks are used as a way for people to understand images in Ebooks if they are unable to use images as intended (e.g. a visual impaired person using a screen reader to read an Ebook).
While this feature exists, it is still not fully utilized and many Ebooks lack alt-text in some, or even all their images. To illustrate this, the [Gutenberg Project](https://gutenberg.org/), the creator of the Ebook and now a distributor of Public Domain Ebooks, have over 70,000 Ebooks in their collection and of those, there are about 470,000 images without alt-text (not including images with insufficient alt-text).
The Alt-Text project's goal is to use the power of various AI technologies, such as machine vision and large language models, to craft a solution capable of assisting in the creation of alt-text for Ebooks, closing the accessibility gap and improving collections, such as the [Gutenberg Project](https://gutenberg.org/).
### Contact Information
The emails and relevant information of those involved in the Alt-Text project can be found below.
#### The Deveolpers
- Jack Byrne
- jbyrne4@stevens.edu
- David Cruz
- da.cruz@aol.com
- [David's Website](https://xxmistacruzxx.github.io/)
- [David's Github](https://github.com/xxmistacruzxx)
- [David's LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidalexandercruz/)
- Jared Donnelly
- jdonnel3@stevens.edu
- Ethan Kleschinsky
- ekleschi@stevens.edu
- Tyler Lane
- tlane@stevens.edu
- Carson Lee
- clee27@stevens.edu
#### The Client
- Eric Hellman
- eric@hellman.net
#### Advisor
- Aaron Klappholz
- aklappho@stevens.edu
## APIs, Tools, & Libraries Used
Alt-Text Backend is developed using an assortment of tools...
### Development Tools
Alt-Text Backend is developed using...
- [Django](https://www.djangoproject.com/)
- [Django Rest Framework](https://www.django-rest-framework.org/)
- [python-dotenv](https://pypi.org/project/python-dotenv/)