GH Gist Blog

A modern blog application built with Go, featuring JWT authentication, role-based access control, and MongoDB integration and the Gin framework.This project is to help me learn how blog application backends are structured and built.

Status

Work in Progress - Core authentication and user management implemented

Features

Implemented

• JWT-based authentication
• Role-based access control (Publisher, Writer, Reader)
• User registration and login
• Password hashing with bcrypt
• Input validation (email, password, username)
• MongoDB integration with connection pooling
• Docker containerization
• Environment-based configuration

Planned

• Article creation and management
• Category system
• File upload integration
• Search functionality
• User profile management
• API documentation

Tech Stack

• Backend: Go (Gin framework)
• Database: MongoDB
• Authentication: JWT tokens
• Containerization: Docker & Docker Compose
• Password Hashing: bcrypt

Project Structure

gh gist blog/
├── Database/           # Database connection
├── handlers/           # HTTP handlers and routes
├── middleware/         # Authentication middleware
├── models/            # Data models
├── repository/        # Database operations
├── services/          # Business logic
├── utils/             # Utility functions (JWT, password)
├── validation/        # Input validation
├── docker-compose.yml # Docker configuration
├── Dockerfile         # Container build
└── main.go           # Application entry point

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Go 1.19 or higher
• MongoDB (local or Atlas)
• Docker (optional)

Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the root directory with the required environment variables. See .env.example for reference.

Local Development

1. Clone the repository
2. Install dependencies:

   go mod tidy

3. Start MongoDB (if running locally)
4. Run the application:

   go run main.go

Docker Development

1. Start all services:

   docker compose up --build

API Endpoints

Public Routes

• GET /api/public/writers - Fetch all writers
• POST /api/public/auth/login - User login

Protected Routes

• POST /api/admin/articles - Create article (requires authentication)

Role-Based Routes

• POST /api/admin/auth/register - Create user (publisher only)

Authentication

The application uses JWT tokens for authentication. Include the token in the Authorization header:

Authorization: Bearer <your-jwt-token>

User Roles

• Publisher: Can create users and articles
• Writer: Can create articles
• Reader: Read-only access

Development Workflow

• Local Development: Use go run main.go for fast iteration
• Container Testing: Use docker compose up --build before commits
• Production: Deploy using Docker containers

Deployment

Fly.io

• Uses Dockerfile for deployment
• Set environment variables via fly secrets
• MongoDB Atlas recommended for production database or any external database

Environment-Specific Configuration

• Local: Uses .env file
• Docker: Uses docker-compose environment variables
• Production: Uses platform-specific environment variables

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test with Docker before committing
5. Submit a pull request

License

This project is not open sourced yet