🐌 SnailMail

SnailMail is a full-stack web application built with React, Node.js, and MySQL that simulates a digital post office system.

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🚀 Tech Stack

Frontend: React (Vite)
Backend: Node.js
Database: MySQL
Language: JavaScript (ES Modules)

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📁 Project Structure

SnailMail/
├── client/         # Frontend React application
│ ├── src/
│ │ ├── assets/     # Images and static resources
│ │ ├── components/ # Reusable UI elements (buttons, forms, etc.)
│ │ └── pages/      # Main pages and views (e.g., Home, Login, Dashboard)
│ ├── public/
│ └── .env          # Frontend environment variables
│
├── server/         # Backend Node.js application
│ ├── controllers/  # Business logic and SQL query handling
│ ├── routers/      # API route definitions
│ ├── utils/        # Helper and utility functions
│ ├── config/       # MySQL database configuration
│ ├── server.js     # Entry point to start the backend server
│ └── .env          # Backend environment variables
│
└── README.md       # Project documentation

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⚙️ Environment Variables

⚠️ Both .env files are git ignored to protect sensitive information. Therefore, you must manually create your own .env files on the client and server folders.

Backend (/server/.env)

MYSQLHOST=localhost
MYSQLPORT=3306
MYSQLUSER=root
MYSQLPASSWORD=<yourPassword>
MYSQL_DATABASE=postOfficeDatabase
PORT=8000

Frontend (/client/.env)

VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:8000

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1️⃣ Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/EdwardVNguyen/SnailMail.git
cd SnailMail

### Install dependencies

cd server
npm install

cd client
npm install

### Run frontend and backend to run web application

cd server
npm run dev

cd client
npm run dev