Storecart Server

Overview

Storecart Server is the backend component of the Education Management System. It provides a robust API for managing educational institutions, students, staff, courses, and administrative functions. Built with Node.js and Express, it follows a modular, service-oriented architecture with clear separation of concerns.

Features

• User Authentication & Authorization: Secure JWT-based authentication with role-based access control
• Institution Management: Register and manage educational institutions
• User Management: Handle different user types (administrators, teachers, students, parents)
• Course Management: Create and manage courses, assignments, and grades
• Communication: Email notifications and messaging system
• Data Management: Efficient CRUD operations with MongoDB

Technology Stack

• Runtime: Node.js
• Framework: Express.js
• Database: MongoDB with Mongoose ODM
• Authentication: JWT (JSON Web Tokens)
• Email Service: Brevo (SendinBlue)
• Logging: Winston

Project Structure

server/
├── src/                  # Source code
│   ├── constants/        # Application constants
│   ├── email-templates/  # Email templates
│   ├── features/         # Feature modules
│   ├── helpers/          # Helper utilities
│   ├── middleware/       # Express middleware
│   ├── models.js         # Database models
│   └── index.js          # Application entry point
├── .env                  # Environment variables
└── package.json          # Project dependencies and scripts

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• MongoDB (local or Atlas)
• npm or yarn package manager

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/storecart.git
   cd storecart/server

2. Install dependencies

   npm install
   # or
   yarn install

3. Configure environment variables Create a .env file in the server directory with the following variables:

   PORT=5000
   MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/Storecart
   JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
   JWT_EXPIRES_IN=7d
   SENDINBLUE_API_KEY=your_sendinblue_api_key
   

Running the Server

Development Mode

npm run dev
# or
yarn dev

This will start the server with nodemon, which automatically restarts the server when file changes are detected.

Production Mode

npm start
# or
yarn start

API Documentation

The API endpoints are organized by feature modules:

• Auth: /api/auth - Registration, login, password reset
• Users: /api/users - User management
• Institutions: /api/institutions - Institution management
• Courses: /api/courses - Course management
• Students: /api/students - Student management

A Postman collection (Storecart.json) is included in the repository for testing the API endpoints.

Architecture

The application follows a modular architecture with several layers:

1. Helper Layer: Utilities for authentication, data management, communication, etc.
2. Middleware Layer: Request validation, authentication checks, error handling
3. Features Layer: Modular implementation of business logic and routes

For more details, see the architecture documentation.

Future Improvements

• Implement real-time notifications using WebSockets
• Add support for file uploads and storage
• Enhance reporting and analytics features
• Implement caching for improved performance
• Add comprehensive test coverage (unit and integration tests)
• Create a CI/CD pipeline for automated testing and deployment
• Implement rate limiting and additional security measures
• Add support for multiple languages (i18n)

Deployment

Docker Deployment

1. Build the Docker image

   docker build -t Storecart-server .

2. Run the container

   docker run -p 5000:5000 Storecart-server

Traditional Deployment

1. Set up a production environment (e.g., AWS, DigitalOcean)
2. Install Node.js and MongoDB
3. Clone the repository and install dependencies
4. Configure environment variables
5. Use a process manager like PM2 to run the application

   npm install -g pm2
   pm2 start src/index.js --name Storecart-server

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

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