Connections Tracker - Backend API

A robust Node.js/Express REST API for managing professional and personal connections, companies, and employment positions. Features JWT authentication, MongoDB integration, and comprehensive logging.

⚠️ Experimental Project Disclaimer

This is an experimental project - the result of an experiment to understand whether "vibe coding" can be used to generate end-to-end web applications.

Important Notes:

• The bulk of this code is AI-generated
• This code is NOT optimized for production use
• This project serves as a proof-of-concept and learning exercise
• Use at your own risk and review thoroughly before any production deployment

🚀 Technology Stack

• Runtime: Node.js
• Framework: Express.js (v5.1.0)
• Database: MongoDB with Mongoose ODM (v8.15.0)
• Authentication: JWT (JSON Web Tokens)
• Security: bcryptjs for password hashing
• CORS: Cross-origin resource sharing enabled
• Environment: dotenv for configuration management

📋 Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16 or higher)
• MongoDB Atlas account or local MongoDB installation
• npm or yarn package manager

🛠️ Installation & Setup

1. Clone and navigate to backend directory:

   cd backend

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Environment Configuration: Create a .env file in the backend root:

   # Database Configuration
   MONGODB_URI=mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster.mongodb.net/connections
   
   # JWT Secret (use a strong, random string in production)
   JWT_SECRET=your_super_secure_jwt_secret_key_here
   
   # Server Configuration
   PORT=4000
   NODE_ENV=development

4. Start the development server:

   npm run dev

   Or for production:

   npm start

📚 API Documentation

Base URL

• Development: http://localhost:4000/api
• Production: https://your-backend-domain.com/api

Health Check

• GET /health - Check server status

Authentication Endpoints

Check System Status

• GET /api/users/exists
• Response: { "hasUsers": boolean }

Initialize First Admin User

• POST /api/initialize
• Body: { "email": "admin@example.com", "password": "password" }
• Note: Only works when no users exist in the system

User Login

• POST /api/login
• Body: { "email": "user@example.com", "password": "password" }
• Response: { "token": "jwt_token", "user": {...} }

Register New User (Admin Only)

• POST /api/register
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <admin_jwt_token>
• Body: { "email": "newuser@example.com", "password": "password" }

Connections Endpoints

Get All Connections

• GET /api/connections
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <jwt_token>

Get Connection by ID

• GET /api/connections/:id
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <jwt_token>
• Response: Includes connection details and associated positions

Create New Connection

• POST /api/connections
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <jwt_token>
• Body:

  {
    "name": "John Doe",
    "email": "john@example.com",
    "phone": "+1234567890",
    "linkedinUserId": "johndoe",
    "githubUserId": "johndoe",
    "notes": "Met at tech conference"
  }

Update Connection

• PUT /api/connections/:id
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <jwt_token>
• Body: Same as create, with updated fields

Delete Connection

• DELETE /api/connections/:id
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <jwt_token>
• Note: Also deletes all associated positions

Get Connections by Company

• GET /api/connections/bycompany/:companyId
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <jwt_token>

Search Connections

• GET /api/connections/search/:query
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <jwt_token>
• Description: Search connections across name, email, phone, LinkedIn/GitHub usernames
• Example: /api/connections/search/john - finds all connections matching "john"
• Note: Search is case-insensitive and supports partial matches

Companies Endpoints

Get All Companies

• GET /api/companies
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <jwt_token>

Get Company by ID

• GET /api/companies/:id
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <jwt_token>
• Response: Includes company details and associated positions

Create New Company

• POST /api/companies
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <jwt_token>
• Body:

  {
    "name": "Tech Corp Inc",
    "industry": "Technology",
    "website": "https://techcorp.com"
  }

Update Company

• PUT /api/companies/:id
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <jwt_token>
• Body: Same as create, with updated fields

Delete Company

• DELETE /api/companies/:id
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <jwt_token>
• Note: Also deletes all associated positions

Get Companies by Connection

• GET /api/companies/byconnection/:connectionId
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <jwt_token>

Search Companies

• GET /api/companies/search/:query
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <jwt_token>
• Description: Search companies across name, industry, and website fields
• Example: /api/companies/search/tech - finds all companies matching "tech"
• Note: Search is case-insensitive and supports partial matches

Positions Endpoints

Get All Positions

• GET /api/positions
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <jwt_token>

Get Position by ID

• GET /api/positions/:id
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <jwt_token>

Create New Position

• POST /api/positions
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <jwt_token>
• Body:

  {
    "connectionId": "connection_object_id",
    "companyId": "company_object_id",
    "title": "Software Engineer",
    "startDate": "2023-01-15",
    "endDate": "2024-01-15",
    "current": false,
    "notes": "Full-stack development role"
  }

Update Position

• PUT /api/positions/:id
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <jwt_token>
• Body: Same as create, with updated fields

Delete Position

• DELETE /api/positions/:id
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <jwt_token>

Get Positions by Connection

• GET /api/positions/connection/:connectionId
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <jwt_token>

Get Positions by Company

• GET /api/positions/company/:companyId
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer <jwt_token>

🗄️ Database Models

User Model

{
  _id: ObjectId,
  email: String (required, unique),
  password: String (required, hashed),
  isAdmin: Boolean (default: false),
  createdAt: Date,
  updatedAt: Date
}

Connection Model

{
  _id: ObjectId,
  userId: String (required),
  name: String (required),
  email: String,
  phone: String,
  linkedinUserId: String,
  githubUserId: String,
  notes: String,
  createdAt: Date,
  updatedAt: Date
}

Company Model

{
  _id: ObjectId,
  userId: String (required),
  name: String (required),
  industry: String,
  website: String,
  createdAt: Date,
  updatedAt: Date
}

Position Model

{
  _id: ObjectId,
  userId: String (required),
  connectionId: ObjectId (ref: 'Connection', required),
  companyId: ObjectId (ref: 'Company', required),
  title: String (required),
  startDate: Date,
  endDate: Date,
  current: Boolean (default: false),
  notes: String,
  createdAt: Date,
  updatedAt: Date
}

🔐 Security Features

• JWT Authentication: Secure token-based authentication
• Password Hashing: bcryptjs with salt rounds
• User Isolation: All data is user-scoped via userId
• Admin Controls: User registration restricted to admin users
• Request Logging: Comprehensive logging with sensitive data protection
• CORS Configuration: Cross-origin request handling

📝 Scripts

{
  "start": "node src/index.js",
  "dev": "nodemon src/index.js",
  "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1"
}

🚀 Deployment

Render Deployment (Recommended)

1. Create Render Web Service:

   • Connect your GitHub repository
   • Set build command: npm install
   • Set start command: npm start
   • Set environment to Node

2. Environment Variables:

   MONGODB_URI=mongodb+srv://...
   JWT_SECRET=your_production_jwt_secret
   NODE_ENV=production
   PORT=4000

3. MongoDB Atlas Setup:

   • Create a MongoDB Atlas cluster
   • Add your Render service IP to IP whitelist (or use 0.0.0.0/0 for all IPs)
   • Create a database user with read/write permissions

Alternative Deployment Options

• Heroku: Compatible with Heroku's Node.js buildpack
• Railway: Direct GitHub integration
• Vercel: Serverless functions (requires restructuring)
• DigitalOcean App Platform: Container-based deployment

🔧 Development

Adding New Routes

1. Create route file in src/routes/
2. Import and use in src/index.js
3. Follow existing authentication middleware pattern

Database Migrations

• No formal migration system
• Use MongoDB Compass or Atlas UI for data management
• Consider implementing seeds for development data

Logging

The application includes comprehensive request logging:

• All requests are logged with timestamp and IP
• Sensitive data (passwords, emails, etc.) is hidden in logs
• Error logging includes stack traces for debugging

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. MongoDB Connection Error:

   • Verify MONGODB_URI in .env
   • Check Atlas IP whitelist
   • Ensure database user has correct permissions

2. JWT Authentication Fails:

   • Verify JWT_SECRET is set
   • Check token format in Authorization header
   • Ensure token hasn't expired

3. CORS Issues:

   • Configure CORS_ORIGIN for production
   • Verify frontend URL matches CORS settings

4. Port Already in Use:

   • Change PORT in .env file
   • Kill existing process: lsof -ti:4000 | xargs kill -9

📄 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

👨‍💻 Author

Harikesh Kushwaha

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For frontend documentation, see Frontend README.