On the server side, we are using the Spring Framework. We will handle all the data with a MySQL database and protect the resources with basic authentication. 

First of all, we will design the project's backend logic. Then we will plan for the REST API. We will create a data model using MySQL Workbench. Then we will create the project using http://start.spring.io. Then we will create the database entity using JPA and Hibernate, and we will check that the REST API is working. To check this, we will use an HTTP client software tool named Insomnia. Then we will implement basic authentication with Spring Security to protect our resources. Lastly, we will give you a task to complete, on upgrading the project, and becoming a contributor to this project on GitHub.