GeeksGram Backend 🚀

Robust RESTful API for GeeksGram Social Media Platform

Secure • Scalable • Real-time

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📋 Table of Contents

• Overview
• Features
• Tech Stack
• Prerequisites
• Installation
• Environment Variables
• API Documentation
• Project Structure
• Database Models
• Socket.IO Events
• Deployment
• Contributing
• License

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🌟 Overview

GeeksGram Backend is a Node.js/Express-based RESTful API that powers the GeeksGram social media platform. It provides comprehensive features for user authentication, post management, real-time messaging, and social interactions.

Frontend Repository: socialmedia-frontend

Live Application: geeksgram-by-prateet.vercel.app

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✨ Features

Core Functionality

• 🔐 Secure Authentication - JWT-based authentication with refresh tokens
• 👤 User Management - Registration, login, profile updates
• 📝 Post Management - Create, read, update, delete posts
• ❤️ Social Interactions - Like, comment, share functionality
• 💬 Real-time Chat - Socket.IO powered instant messaging
• 🔔 Notifications - Real-time notification system
• 📷 Media Upload - Image and file handling
• 🔍 Search & Discovery - Find users and content
• 🛡️ Security - Password hashing, CORS, rate limiting

Technical Features

• RESTful API architecture
• Middleware-based request processing
• Error handling and validation
• Database modeling and relationships
• WebSocket integration for real-time features

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🛠️ Tech Stack

Category	Technology
Runtime	Node.js
Framework	Express.js
Database	MongoDB with Mongoose ODM
Authentication	JWT (JSON Web Tokens)
Real-time	Socket.IO
Security	bcrypt, helmet, cors
Validation	express-validator
File Upload	Multer / Cloudinary
Environment	dotenv

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📋 Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

• Node.js (v16.0 or higher)
• npm or yarn package manager
• MongoDB (v4.4 or higher) - Local or Atlas
• Git

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🚀 Installation

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/Prateet-Github/socialmedia-backend.git
cd socialmedia-backend

2. Install Dependencies

npm install

3. Set Up Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the root directory:

# Server Configuration
PORT=5000
NODE_ENV=development

# Database
MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/geeksgram
# OR for MongoDB Atlas:
# MONGODB_URI=mongodb+srv://<username>:<password>@cluster.mongodb.net/geeksgram

# JWT Configuration
JWT_SECRET=your_super_secret_jwt_key_here
JWT_EXPIRE=7d
JWT_REFRESH_SECRET=your_refresh_token_secret
JWT_REFRESH_EXPIRE=30d

# Client URL (for CORS)
CLIENT_URL=http://localhost:5173

# Cloudinary (for image uploads)
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloud_name
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your_api_key
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your_api_secret

# Email Configuration (optional)
SMTP_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USER=your_email@gmail.com
SMTP_PASS=your_app_password

4. Start the Server

Development Mode (with nodemon):

npm run dev

Production Mode:

npm start

The server will start on http://localhost:5000

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🔐 Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Required
PORT	Server port number	Yes
MONGODB_URI	MongoDB connection string	Yes
JWT_SECRET	Secret key for JWT signing	Yes
JWT_EXPIRE	JWT token expiration time	Yes
CLIENT_URL	Frontend URL for CORS	Yes
CLOUDINARY_*	Cloudinary credentials for media	Optional
SMTP_*	Email service credentials	Optional

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📚 API Documentation

Base URL

http://localhost:5000/api

Authentication Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description	Auth Required
POST	/auth/register	Register new user	❌
POST	/auth/login	User login	❌
POST	/auth/logout	User logout	✅
POST	/auth/refresh	Refresh access token	✅
GET	/auth/me	Get current user	✅

User Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description	Auth Required
GET	/users/:id	Get user profile	✅
PUT	/users/:id	Update user profile	✅
GET	/users/search	Search users	✅
POST	/users/:id/follow	Follow user	✅
DELETE	/users/:id/follow	Unfollow user	✅

Post Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description	Auth Required
GET	/posts	Get all posts (feed)	✅
GET	/posts/:id	Get single post	✅
POST	/posts	Create new post	✅
PUT	/posts/:id	Update post	✅
DELETE	/posts/:id	Delete post	✅
POST	/posts/:id/like	Like/unlike post	✅
POST	/posts/:id/comment	Add comment	✅

Request Examples

Register User

POST /api/auth/register
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "username": "johndoe",
  "email": "john@example.com",
  "password": "securePassword123",
  "fullName": "John Doe"
}

Login

POST /api/auth/login
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "email": "john@example.com",
  "password": "securePassword123"
}

Create Post

POST /api/posts
Authorization: Bearer <your_jwt_token>
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "content": "Hello GeeksGram! 🚀",
  "image": "image_url_here"
}

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📁 Project Structure

socialmedia-backend/
├── configs/              # Configuration files
│   ├── database.js      # MongoDB connection setup
│   └── cloudinary.js    # Cloudinary configuration
├── controllers/         # Request handlers
│   ├── authController.js
│   ├── userController.js
│   ├── postController.js
│   └── commentController.js
├── middlewares/         # Custom middleware
│   ├── auth.js         # JWT authentication
│   ├── errorHandler.js # Error handling
│   └── validator.js    # Request validation
├── models/             # Mongoose schemas
│   ├── User.js
│   ├── Post.js
│   ├── Comment.js
│   └── Notification.js
├── routes/             # API routes
│   ├── authRoutes.js
│   ├── userRoutes.js
│   ├── postRoutes.js
│   └── index.js
├── socket/             # Socket.IO logic
│   ├── socketHandler.js
│   └── events.js
├── .env                # Environment variables
├── .gitignore         # Git ignore file
├── package.json       # Dependencies
├── server.js          # Entry point
└── README.md          # Documentation

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🗃️ Database Models

User Model

{
  username: String (unique, required),
  email: String (unique, required),
  password: String (hashed, required),
  fullName: String,
  bio: String,
  avatar: String (URL),
  coverPhoto: String (URL),
  followers: [ObjectId],
  following: [ObjectId],
  posts: [ObjectId],
  createdAt: Date,
  updatedAt: Date
}

Post Model

{
  author: ObjectId (ref: User, required),
  content: String (required),
  images: [String],
  likes: [ObjectId (ref: User)],
  comments: [ObjectId (ref: Comment)],
  shares: Number,
  createdAt: Date,
  updatedAt: Date
}

Comment Model

{
  post: ObjectId (ref: Post, required),
  author: ObjectId (ref: User, required),
  content: String (required),
  likes: [ObjectId (ref: User)],
  createdAt: Date
}

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🔌 Socket.IO Events

Client → Server

Event	Description	Payload
join	Join user room	{ userId }
sendMessage	Send chat message	{ to, message }
typing	User typing indicator	{ to }
stopTyping	Stop typing indicator	{ to }

Server → Client

Event	Description	Payload
message	New message received	{ from, message, timestamp }
notification	New notification	{ type, data }
userOnline	User came online	{ userId }
userOffline	User went offline	{ userId }

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🚀 Deployment

Deploy to Render

1. Create account on Render
2. New Web Service → Connect GitHub repo
3. Set Environment Variables in dashboard
4. Build Command: npm install
5. Start Command: npm start

Deploy to Railway

1. Create account on Railway
2. New Project → Deploy from GitHub
3. Add MongoDB plugin
4. Set Environment Variables
5. Deploy automatically on push

Deploy to Heroku

heroku create geeksgram-api
heroku config:set MONGODB_URI=<your_mongodb_uri>
heroku config:set JWT_SECRET=<your_secret>
git push heroku main

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🧪 Testing

# Run tests
npm test

# Run tests with coverage
npm run test:coverage

# Run tests in watch mode
npm run test:watch

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please follow these steps:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch

   git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature

3. Commit your changes

   git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature'

4. Push to the branch

   git push origin feature/amazing-feature

5. Open a Pull Request

Coding Guidelines

• Follow existing code style
• Write meaningful commit messages
• Add comments for complex logic
• Update documentation as needed
• Write tests for new features

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🐛 Bug Reports & Feature Requests

Please use the GitHub Issues page to report bugs or request features.

Bug Report Template:

• Description of the bug
• Steps to reproduce
• Expected behavior
• Actual behavior
• Screenshots (if applicable)
• Environment details

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📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

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👨‍💻 Author

Prateet

• GitHub: @Prateet-Github
• Frontend: socialmedia-frontend
• Backend: socialmedia-backend

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🙏 Acknowledgments

• Express.js team for the excellent framework
• MongoDB for the robust database
• Socket.IO for real-time capabilities
• All contributors and supporters

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📞 Support

For support, please open an issue or contact through GitHub.

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⭐ If you like this project, please give it a star on GitHub! ⭐

Made with ❤️ by Prateet