iOS Ubuntu API Project - LifeCoach iOS 🚀

A complete infrastructure solution for connecting iOS applications to a self-hosted Ubuntu server using Cloudflare Tunnel for secure, reliable remote access. This instance is configured for the LifeCoach iOS application.

🎯 Project Overview

This project provides a production-ready template for building iOS applications that communicate with a self-hosted Ubuntu backend server. It eliminates the need for expensive cloud hosting while maintaining professional-grade security and reliability.

Key Features

✅ Complete Backend API - Node.js/Express server with JWT authentication
✅ iOS Client Templates - Swift/SwiftUI code with full networking implementation
✅ Cloudflare Tunnel - Secure remote access without port forwarding
✅ WebSocket Support - Real-time bidirectional communication
✅ Auto-Start Services - PM2 and systemd for reliability
✅ Cost Effective - Save $15-40/month vs cloud hosting
✅ Production Ready - Security, monitoring, and error handling included

📁 Project Structure

ios_ubuntu_api_project/
├── docs/                           # Documentation
│   ├── ARCHITECTURE_OVERVIEW.md   # System architecture & decisions
│   └── API_ENDPOINTS.md          # API reference documentation
├── server/                        # Ubuntu backend server
│   ├── app.js                    # Express.js application
│   ├── package.json              # Node.js dependencies
│   └── .env.example              # Environment configuration
├── ios_templates/                # iOS client code
│   ├── APIManager.swift         # API client with auth
│   ├── WebSocketManager.swift   # WebSocket handler
│   └── ContentView.swift        # SwiftUI example
├── scripts/                      # Automation scripts
│   ├── setup_cloudflare_api_tunnel.sh
│   ├── setup_api_service.sh
│   └── api_control.sh
├── SETUP_GUIDE.md               # Step-by-step setup
└── README.md                    # This file

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS server
Cloudflare account (free tier works)
Domain managed by Cloudflare
iOS development environment (Xcode 14+)

5-Minute Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/FocusedAlpha99/ios-ubuntu-api-project.git
cd ios-ubuntu-api-project

# 1. Setup API backend (2 minutes)
./scripts/setup_api_service.sh

# 2. Setup Cloudflare Tunnel (3 minutes)
./scripts/setup_cloudflare_api_tunnel.sh

# 3. Verify it works
curl https://api.yourdomain.com/api/health

That's it! Your iOS app can now connect from anywhere.

📱 iOS Integration

Installation

Copy Swift files from ios_templates/ to your Xcode project
Update the domain in APIManager.swift:

static let baseURL = "https://api.yourdomain.com"

Basic Usage

// Login
let user = try await APIManager.shared.login(
    email: "user@example.com",
    password: "password"
)

// Make API call
let data = try await APIManager.shared.fetchData()

// Connect WebSocket
WebSocketManager.shared.connect()

See ios_templates/ContentView.swift for complete examples.

🔧 API Endpoints

Authentication

POST /api/auth/register - Create new account
POST /api/auth/login - Login with credentials
POST /api/auth/refresh - Refresh JWT token

Protected Routes

GET /api/data - Fetch user data
POST /api/command - Execute commands

WebSocket Events

connection - Client connected
message - Send/receive messages
status_update - Server status updates

Full API documentation: docs/API_ENDPOINTS.md

🏗️ Architecture

Technology Stack

Backend (Ubuntu Server)

Node.js 20.x LTS
Express.js 4.x
Socket.io for WebSocket
PM2 process manager
JWT authentication
Bcrypt password hashing

iOS Client

Swift 5.0+
SwiftUI
URLSession for networking
Keychain for secure storage
Combine framework

Infrastructure

Cloudflare Tunnel
Systemd services
Automatic SSL/TLS
DDoS protection

Security Features

🔒 JWT token authentication
🔒 HTTPS enforced via Cloudflare
🔒 Rate limiting (100 req/15min)
🔒 Input validation & sanitization
🔒 Bcrypt password hashing (10 rounds)
🔒 Secure token storage in iOS Keychain

💰 Cost Analysis

Self-Hosted (This Solution)

Cloudflare: $0 (free tier)
Ubuntu Server: ~$10/month (electricity)
Total: ~$10/month

Cloud Alternatives

Vercel Pro: $20/month
AWS EC2: $30-50/month
DigitalOcean: $24/month
Google Cloud: $25-40/month

You save: $15-40/month 💸

📊 Monitoring & Management

LifeCoach iOS API Server Status

✅ Server is running 24/7 with PM2

Process name: lifecoach-ios-api
Port: 3000
Auto-start: Enabled
Self-healing: Enabled

API Server Commands

pm2 status                    # View all processes
pm2 logs lifecoach-ios-api    # View logs
pm2 monit                     # Real-time monitoring
pm2 restart lifecoach-ios-api # Restart server
pm2 info lifecoach-ios-api    # Detailed info

Cloudflare Tunnel Commands

sudo systemctl status cloudflared-api   # Status
sudo journalctl -u cloudflared-api -f  # Logs
sudo systemctl restart cloudflared-api  # Restart

🧪 Testing

Test Authentication

# Register
curl -X POST https://api.yourdomain.com/api/auth/register \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"email":"test@example.com","password":"test123","name":"Test User"}'

# Login
curl -X POST https://api.yourdomain.com/api/auth/login \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"email":"test@example.com","password":"test123"}'

Test WebSocket

const io = require('socket.io-client');
const socket = io('wss://api.yourdomain.com', {
    auth: { token: 'YOUR_JWT_TOKEN' }
});

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Common Issues

API not accessible externally

Check PM2 status: pm2 status ios-api
Verify tunnel: sudo systemctl status cloudflared-api
Test locally: curl http://localhost:3000/api/health

iOS app can't connect

Verify URL in APIManager.swift
Check Info.plist network permissions
Test with curl from terminal

WebSocket connection fails

Ensure JWT token is valid
Verify Cloudflare Tunnel configuration
Check server logs: pm2 logs ios-api

See SETUP_GUIDE.md for detailed troubleshooting.

📈 Performance

Benchmarks

API Response Time: <50ms (local), <150ms (remote)
WebSocket Latency: <100ms
Concurrent Connections: 1000+
Uptime: 99.9% with PM2 auto-restart

Optimization Tips

Enable PM2 cluster mode for multiple cores
Add Redis for caching
Implement CDN for static assets
Use background fetch in iOS app

🔄 Updates & Maintenance

Updating Dependencies

# Backend
cd server
npm update
pm2 restart ios-api

# iOS
# Update Swift packages in Xcode

Backup

# Run backup script
./scripts/backup.sh

# Backups stored in ~/backups/ios-api-YYYYMMDD/

📚 Documentation

Architecture Overview - System design and decisions
Setup Guide - Detailed setup instructions
API Documentation - Endpoint reference
iOS Integration Guide - iOS implementation details

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Fork the repository
Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
Open a Pull Request

📄 License

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

🙏 Acknowledgments

Cloudflare for the excellent tunnel service
PM2 for process management
Express.js for the web framework
Socket.io for WebSocket support

📞 Support

📧 Email: support@yourdomain.com
🐛 Issues: GitHub Issues
💬 Discussions: GitHub Discussions

Built with ❤️ for self-hosted enthusiasts

Last Updated: September 21, 2025

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 2 Commits
docs		docs
ios_templates		ios_templates
scripts		scripts
server		server
.gitignore		.gitignore
LICENSE		LICENSE
PM2_CONFIGURATION.md		PM2_CONFIGURATION.md
README.md		README.md
SETUP_GUIDE.md		SETUP_GUIDE.md

License

FocusedAlpha99/ios-ubuntu-api-project

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