VidVerse

VidVerse is a backend application for a video-sharing platform that enables users to upload, share, and interact with video content. It incorporates secure user authentication, media storage on Cloudinary, and token-based access control.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Technologies Used
• Installation
• Usage
• API Endpoints
  • Authentication
  • User Management
  • Videos and Channels
• Authentication Flow
• Contributing

Features

• User authentication and authorization (JWT-based)
• Media file uploads (Images, Videos) using Cloudinary
• Watch history tracking
• Subscription system for channels
• Password management (Change/Update)
• Secure cookie handling (Access and Refresh tokens)
• User profile updates including avatars and cover images

Technologies Used

• Backend: Node.js, Express.js
• Database: MongoDB, Mongoose
• Authentication: JWT (JSON Web Tokens)
• File Storage: Cloudinary, Multer
• Environment Management: dotenv
• Other Libraries: bcrypt, jsonwebtoken, cookie-parser, validator

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/Deepika0701/VidVerse.git

2. Navigate to the project directory:

   cd VidVerse

3. Install dependencies:

   npm install

4. Create a .env file in the root directory and provide the following environment variables:

   MONGO_URI=your_mongo_database_uri
   JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
   REFRESH_TOKEN_SECRET=your_refresh_token_secret
   CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloudinary_cloud_name
   CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your_cloudinary_api_key
   CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your_cloudinary_api_secret

5. Start the development server:

   npm run dev

Usage

• Register as a new user and log in using your credentials.
• Upload videos, update your profile, and manage your channel.
• Subscribe to other users' channels and keep track of your watch history.

API Endpoints

Authentication Endpoints

• POST /api/auth/register: Register a new user.
• POST /api/auth/login: Log in with email/username and password.
• POST /api/auth/refresh: Get a new access token using a refresh token.
• POST /api/auth/logout: Log out a user.

User Management Endpoints

• GET /api/users/me: Get the current logged-in user's profile.
• PATCH /api/users/me: Update account details.
• PATCH /api/users/avatar: Update user avatar.
• PATCH /api/users/cover-image: Update cover image.

Videos and Channels

• GET /api/channels/:username: Get user channel profile by username.
• GET /api/users/watch-history: Fetch user's video watch history.

More routes and details can be found in the code.

Authentication Flow

VidVerse uses JWT-based authentication, with tokens passed via cookies. The system uses access tokens for short-lived sessions and refresh tokens for renewing expired access tokens without requiring re-login.

Access and Refresh Token Flow:

1. On login, an accessToken and refreshToken are generated and stored as HTTP-only cookies.
2. The accessToken is used for authenticating API requests.
3. If the accessToken expires, the refreshToken is used to obtain a new one by hitting the /api/auth/refresh endpoint.

Contributing

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create your feature branch:

   git checkout -b feature/my-feature

3. Commit your changes:

   git commit -m 'Add some feature'

4. Push to the branch:

   git push origin feature/my-feature

5. Open a pull request.