TaskMaster Pro - Backend API

A comprehensive RESTful API for advanced todo management with priority levels, categories, due dates, search capabilities, and statistics.

🚀 Features

• CRUD Operations - Create, Read, Update, Delete todos
• Priority System - Low, Medium, High priority levels with color coding
• Category Organization - Organize todos by categories (work, personal, etc.)
• Due Date Management - Set and track due dates
• Advanced Search & Filter - Search by title/description, filter by status, priority, category
• Statistics Dashboard - Analytics on completion rates, priority distribution, categories
• Data Validation - Comprehensive input validation with MongoDB schemas
• Error Handling - Robust error handling with descriptive messages
• Rate Limiting - API protection against abuse
• CORS Security - Configurable cross-origin resource sharing
• API Documentation - Interactive Swagger UI documentation

🛠️ Tech Stack

• Runtime: Node.js with TypeScript
• Framework: Express.js
• Database: MongoDB with Mongoose ODM
• Documentation: Swagger UI with YAML configuration
• Security: Helmet, CORS, Rate Limiting
• Development: ts-node-dev for hot reloading

📋 Prerequisites

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

⚡ Quick Start

1. Clone & Install

git clone http://github.com/kemsguy7/taskmaster-backend
cd todo-backend
npm install

2. Environment Setup

Create a .env file in the root directory:

PORT=5000
MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/todoapp (you can use your mongo connection string)
FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:5173
API_URL=http://localhost:5000 or your frontend url if you hosted on a live server 
NODE_ENV=development

3. Database Setup

Option A: Local MongoDB

# Install MongoDB locally or use Docker
docker run -d -p 27017:27017 --name mongodb mongo:latest

Option B: MongoDB Atlas (Recommended)

1. Create free account at MongoDB Atlas
2. Create cluster and get connection string
3. Update MONGODB_URI in .env file

4. Start Development Server

npm run dev

The server will start on http://localhost:5000

📚 API Documentation

Once the server is running, visit:

• Swagger UI: http://localhost:5000/api-docs
• Health Check: http://localhost:5000/health

🔗 API Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/	API information
GET	/health	Health check
GET	/api/todos	Get all todos (with filters)
POST	/api/todos	Create new todo
GET	/api/todos/:id	Get specific todo
PUT	/api/todos/:id	Update todo
DELETE	/api/todos/:id	Delete todo
GET	/api/todos/api/stats	Get statistics

Query Parameters for GET /api/todos

• completed - Filter by completion status (true/false)
• priority - Filter by priority (low/medium/high)
• category - Filter by category
• search - Search in title and description

🗂️ Project Structure

backend/
├── src/
│   ├── swagger/
│   │   └── swagger.yaml       # API documentation
│   ├── models/
│   │   └── Todo.ts           # MongoDB schema
│   ├── routes/
│   │   └── todos.ts          # Route handlers
│   ├── types/
│   │   └── Todo.ts           # TypeScript interfaces
│   ├── middleware/
│   │   └── errorHandler.ts   # Error handling
│   └── index.ts              # Main server file
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
├── .env
└── README.md

📜 Available Scripts

npm run dev      # Start development server with hot reload
npm run build    # Build for production
npm start        # Start production server
npm test         # Run tests (when implemented)

🌍 Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
PORT	Server port	5000
MONGODB_URI	MongoDB connection string	mongodb://localhost:27017/todoapp
FRONTEND_URL	Frontend URL for CORS	http://localhost:5173
API_URL	API base URL	http://localhost:5000
NODE_ENV	Environment	development

🚀 Deployment

Railway/Render/Heroku

1. Connect your repository
2. Set environment variables:
   • MONGODB_URI (use MongoDB Atlas)
   • FRONTEND_URL (your frontend url)
   • NODE_ENV=production
3. Deploy automatically

Manual Deployment

npm run build
npm start

🔧 CORS Configuration

Update allowedOrigins in src/index.ts to add your domains:

const allowedOrigins = [
  'http://localhost:5173',        // Vite dev server
  'https://yourdomain.com',       // Your production domain
  'https://yourapp.vercel.app',   // Deployment platform
];

📊 Database Schema

Todo Model

{
  title: String (required, max 100 chars)
  description: String (max 500 chars)
  completed: Boolean (default: false)
  priority: String (low/medium/high, default: medium)
  category: String (default: general)
  dueDate: Date (optional)
  createdAt: Date (auto-generated)
  updatedAt: Date (auto-generated)
}

🐛 Troubleshooting

MongoDB Connection Issues:

• Ensure MongoDB is running locally or Atlas connection string is correct
• Check network access settings in MongoDB Atlas
• Verify username/password in connection string

CORS Errors:

• Add your frontend domain to allowedOrigins array
• Ensure credentials are properly configured

Port Conflicts:

• Change the PORT environment variable
• Check if another service is using port 5000

🤝 Contributing

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

Built with ❤️ using TypeScript, Express, and MongoDB