PetHub 2.0

A social media platform for pet lovers built with Node.js, Express, Firebase, and EJS.

Features

• 🐾 Social Feed: Share posts, photos, and videos of your pets
• 💬 Comments & Likes: Engage with the community
• 👥 User Profiles: Customizable profiles with cover photos
• 🔍 Search: Find other pet owners and posts
• 🛒 Marketplace: Buy and sell pet-related items
• 🔔 Notifications: Stay updated with real-time notifications
• 📱 Responsive Design: Works on desktop and mobile devices

Tech Stack

• Backend: Node.js, Express.js
• Database: Firebase Firestore
• Storage: Firebase Storage (for images and videos)
• Authentication: JWT (JSON Web Tokens)
• Template Engine: EJS
• Styling: Bootstrap 5
• Deployment: Vercel (serverless functions)

Prerequisites

• Node.js >= 20.0.0
• npm or yarn
• Firebase project with:
  • Firestore Database enabled
  • Storage enabled
  • Service Account with Storage Admin permissions

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd pethud2.0

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Set up environment variables:

   cp .env.example .env.local

   Edit .env.local and add your Firebase credentials:

   • FIREBASE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT: Your Firebase service account JSON (as a single-line string)
   • FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID: Your Firebase project ID
   • FIREBASE_STORAGE_BUCKET: Your Firebase Storage bucket name
   • JWT_SECRET: A strong random string for JWT signing
   • Other optional variables (see .env.example)

4. Configure Firebase Storage CORS:

   node setup-cors.js

   This is required for direct browser uploads (especially videos). See CORS_SETUP.md for details.

5. Start the development server:

   npm run dev

   Or: npm start (uses PORT from env, default 3000). On macOS you can use ./run-pethub.sh to install deps and start.

6. Open your browser: Navigate to http://localhost:4000 (or the port set by PORT)

Project Structure

pethud2.0/
├── controller/          # Route controllers
│   ├── postController.js
│   ├── profileController.js
│   ├── marketplaceController.js
│   └── ...
├── routes/              # Express routes
│   ├── posts.js
│   ├── users.js
│   └── ...
├── views/               # EJS templates
│   ├── index.ejs
│   ├── profile.ejs
│   └── ...
├── middlewares/         # Express middlewares
│   ├── auth.js
│   └── ...
├── firebase/            # Firebase configuration
│   └── config.js
├── utils/               # Utility functions
│   ├── firestoreHelpers.js
│   └── mailer.js
├── public/              # Static assets (only these are served; do not duplicate under project root)
│   ├── images/
│   └── stylesheets/
├── setup-cors.js        # One-time CORS setup for Firebase Storage
├── configure-cors.js    # Alternative CORS setup (requires gcloud CLI)
└── bin/www              # Server entry (npm start)

Environment Variables

See .env.example for all available environment variables. Key variables:

• FIREBASE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT: Firebase service account JSON (required)
• FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID: Firebase project ID
• FIREBASE_STORAGE_BUCKET: Firebase Storage bucket name
• JWT_SECRET: Secret key for JWT tokens
• GMAIL_USER: Gmail address for sending emails
• GMAIL_APP_PASSWORD: Gmail app password

Deployment

Vercel Deployment

See VERCEL_SETUP.md for detailed deployment instructions.

Quick steps:

1. Install Vercel CLI: npm i -g vercel
2. Login: vercel login
3. Link project: vercel link
4. Set environment variables in Vercel Dashboard
5. Deploy: vercel --prod

Important: Configure CORS

Before deploying, make sure to configure CORS on your Firebase Storage bucket:

node setup-cors.js

See CORS_SETUP.md for detailed instructions.

Features Documentation

File Uploads

The application supports direct client-side uploads to Firebase Storage to avoid Vercel's 4.5MB payload limit. Large files (especially videos) are uploaded directly from the browser to Firebase Storage.

Authentication

Uses JWT (JSON Web Tokens) for authentication. Tokens are stored in HTTP-only cookies for security.

Database

Uses Firebase Firestore for data storage:

• users: User profiles and settings
• posts: User posts with media
• marketplace_ads: Marketplace listings
• Other collections as needed

Scripts

• npm run dev: Start development server
• npm start: Start production server
• node setup-cors.js: Configure CORS for Firebase Storage

Security Notes

• ✅ Never commit .env.local or Firebase service account keys
• ✅ Use strong JWT_SECRET in production
• ✅ Configure CORS with specific origins in production
• ✅ Keep Firebase service account keys secure
• ✅ Use environment variables for all sensitive data

Troubleshooting

CORS Errors

If you get CORS errors when uploading files:

1. Run node setup-cors.js to configure CORS
2. Wait 2-5 minutes for changes to propagate
3. Clear browser cache
4. See CORS_SETUP.md for detailed help

Firebase Errors

• Make sure FIREBASE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT is set correctly
• Verify your service account has Storage Admin permissions
• Check that Firestore and Storage are enabled in Firebase Console

Upload Errors

• Check file size limits (50MB max)
• Verify CORS is configured
• Check browser console for specific error messages

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Submit a pull request

License

[Add your license here]

Support

For issues and questions, please open an issue on GitHub.