E-Commerce Product Management System

This is a medium-complexity project designed to build an e-commerce product management system using the Express.js framework. The project integrates MongoDB as the database and implements essential features like authentication, product categorization, and file handling for product images.

Table of Contents

1. Overview
2. Features
3. Project Objectives
4. Implementation Details
   • Views
   • NoSQL Database Management
   • Authentication and Session Management
   • File Handling
   • Product Management Features
5. Folder Structure
6. Installation and Setup
7. Usage
8. API Routes
9. Environment Variables
10. Future Enhancements
11. License

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Overview

The e-commerce product management system provides the foundational functionality for an online store, including:

• Product creation and categorization.
• Secure user authentication.
• Image uploads for products.
• Dynamic rendering of pages using EJS templating engine.

This application is designed with scalability and extensibility in mind, allowing easy integration of advanced features in the future.

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Features

• User Authentication: Secure user registration and login using JWT tokens for session management.

• Product Management: CRUD operations for products with efficient categorization using nested document structures in MongoDB.

• Image Uploads: Product images are uploaded and stored using Multer with server-side validation.

• Search Functionality: Ability to search for products using advanced querying and filtering.

• Responsive Views: User-friendly interfaces built with the EJS templating engine.

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Project Objectives

1. Build a scalable e-commerce product management system.
2. Utilize MongoDB for entity storage and advanced querying.
3. Secure user data using bcrypt for password hashing and JWT for authentication.
4. Handle file uploads for product images securely.
5. Implement an intuitive UI with EJS views.

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Implementation Details

Views

• Templating Engine: EJS is used for creating dynamic views.
• UI Pages:
  • Authentication (Login, Signup, Forgot Password).
  • Product management (Create, List, Detail).
  • Category management.
• Layouts and Partials: Reusable components like header, footer, and layout templates.

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NoSQL Database Management

• Database: MongoDB.
• ODM: Mongoose for schema definitions and data validation.
• Features:
  • Nested documents for categories.
  • Advanced querying and filtering for products.
  • Document relationships for users, products, and categories.

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Authentication and Session Management

• User Registration and Login:

  • JWT for token-based authentication.
  • Bcrypt for hashing passwords.

• Session Security: Middleware to protect routes and handle token verification.

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File Handling

• File Uploads:
  • Multer for handling multipart/form-data.
  • Server-side validation for images (e.g., size and format).
• Directory Structure: Uploaded files are stored in structured directories for easy retrieval.

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Product Management Features

• Categorization:

  • Products are categorized using a nested document model.

• Search and Filters:

  • Implemented advanced querying for efficient product search.

• CRUD Operations:

  • Fully functional Create, Read, Update, and Delete features for products and categories.

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Folder Structure

.
├── public                # Static assets (images, icons, etc.)
├── src                   # Application source code
│   ├── controllers       # Business logic for routes
│   ├── models            # Mongoose schemas
│   ├── routes            # API routes
│   ├── utils             # Utilities and middleware
│   └── views             # EJS templates for UI
├── package.json          # Project dependencies
├── tsconfig.json         # TypeScript configuration
└── README.md             # Project documentation

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Installation and Setup

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18+)
• MongoDB (local or cloud instance)

Steps

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/julius-amt/PMS.git
   cd PMS/

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Create a .env file and configure the required environment variables (see Environment Variables).

4. Start the development server:

   npm start

5. Access the application at http://localhost:3000.

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Usage

• Navigate to /signup to register a new user.
• Log in via /login and access the dashboard.
• Add products via the product management page.
• Categorize products to organize the inventory.
• View, edit, or delete products through the product listing page.

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Some API Routes

Route	Method	Description	Auth Required
/api/auth/signup	POST	Register a new user	No
/api/auth/login	POST	Log in a user	No
/api/products	GET	Fetch all products	Yes
/api/products/:id	GET	Fetch a specific product	Yes
/api/products	POST	Create a new product	Yes
/api/categories	GET	Fetch all categories	Yes

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Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the project root and add the following:

MONGO_URI=<your_mongo_database_uri>
JWT_SECRET=<your_jwt_secret_key>
EMAIL_HOST=<your_email
EMAIL_PORT=####
EMAIL_SECURE=<boolean>
EMAIL_USER=<your_email>
EMAIL_PASS=<your_password>
BASE_URL=<your_base_url>

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Future Enhancements

• Implement payment gateway integration.
• Add support for multiple user roles (e.g., admin, customer).
• Develop a RESTful API for third-party integrations.
• Introduce advanced search capabilities using text indexing.

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Feel free to contribute and report issues in the repository!