Sloopstash CTM App

Welcome to the Sloopstash CTM app, which includes both the backend and frontend components. This guide will walk you through the setup process to run the application locally.

Project Structure

The project consists of two main folders:

• backend: Node.js backend API for the CTM app.
• frontend: React frontend for the CTM app.

Prerequisites

Before you start, ensure that you have the following installed:

• Node.js (v14 or later)

  • Installation for Node.js:
    • Visit the official Node.js website and download the latest stable version (LTS). Follow the installation instructions specific to your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux).
    • You can verify the installation by running the following commands in your terminal or command prompt:

      node -v
      npm -v

      If both commands return a version number, Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager) are successfully installed.

• MongoDB (running locally or remotely)

  • If you want to run MongoDB locally, install it from MongoDB's official site and follow the instructions for your OS.
  • Alternatively, you can use MongoDB Atlas for a cloud-based solution.

Backend Setup

The backend of this application is built with Node.js and Express. Follow these steps to get the backend running locally.

Steps:

1. Navigate to the backend folder:

   cd sloopstash/backend

2. Create a .env file for local configuration:

   touch .env

3. Add the following environment variables to the .env file:

   MONGO_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/ctm
   JWT_SECRET=your_secret_key_here

   • MONGO_URI: The MongoDB connection string for your database.
   • JWT_SECRET: Secret key used to sign JWT tokens for authentication.

4. Install dependencies:

   npm install

5. Start the backend server:

   • This command will use nodemon to run the server. Make sure you have nodemon installed globally if you don't have it already:

     npm install -g nodemon

   npm run dev

The backend should now be running on http://localhost:2000.

Frontend Setup

The frontend is built with React. Follow these steps to get the frontend running locally.

Steps:

1. Navigate to the frontend folder:

   cd sloopstash/frontend

2. Create a .env file for local configuration:

   touch .env

3. Add the following environment variable to the .env file:

   BACKEND_BASE_URL=http://localhost:2000/api

   • BACKEND_BASE_URL: The URL to the backend API. This allows the frontend to make API requests to the backend.

4. Install dependencies:

   npm install

5. Start the frontend development server:

   npm start

The frontend should now be running on http://localhost:3000.

Additional Notes

• MongoDB: Make sure you have MongoDB running locally on your machine. If not, you can install it from MongoDB's official site or use a cloud-based MongoDB service like MongoDB Atlas.

• Development Setup: The app is set up for local development. If you encounter any issues with missing dependencies or errors during setup, try deleting the node_modules folder and running npm install again.

• Port Customization: If you want to change the backend port or database URI, you can modify the .env files in both the frontend and backend directories accordingly.

• Future Updates: Containerization work using Docker is ongoing and will be available in future releases. Once containerization is complete, you will be able to run the app using Docker and Docker Compose.

License

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

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Thank you for using the Sloopstash CTM app!