Node & Express Contact API

A RESTful Contact Management API built with Node.js, Express, MongoDB, and JWT authentication.

Project Status:

This project is a backend API created while learning the fundamentals of Express.js development. It demonstrates how to build a secure REST API with user authentication, CRUD operations, middleware, and MongoDB integration.

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Features

• User registration and login
• JWT authentication
• Password hashing with bcrypt
• Protected API routes
• Full CRUD operations for contacts
• MongoDB database integration
• Centralized error handling
• Environment variable configuration

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Technologies

• Node.js
• Express.js
• MongoDB
• Mongoose
• JWT (JSON Web Tokens)
• bcrypt
• dotenv

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API Endpoints

Authentication

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/users/register	Register a new user
POST	/api/users/login	Authenticate a user
GET	/api/users/current	Get the current authenticated user

Contacts

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/contacts	Get all contacts
GET	/api/contacts/:id	Get a single contact
POST	/api/contacts	Create a contact
PUT	/api/contacts/:id	Update a contact
DELETE	/api/contacts/:id	Delete a contact

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Project Structure

mycontacts-backend/
├── config/
├── controllers/
├── middleware/
├── models/
├── routes/
├── server.js
└── package.json

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Running the Project

Install dependencies:

npm install

Create a .env file:

PORT=5000
CONNECTION_STRING=<your_mongodb_connection_string>
ACCESS_TOKEN_SECRET=<your_jwt_secret>

Start the development server:

npm run dev

Or run normally:

npm start

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Concepts Demonstrated

• REST API design
• Express routing
• MVC architecture
• Authentication with JWT
• Password hashing
• Middleware
• MongoDB and Mongoose
• Environment variables
• Error handling

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Development Status

Component	Status
Authentication	Complete
JWT Authorization	Complete
Contact CRUD API	Complete
MongoDB Integration	Complete
Error Handling	Complete

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Purpose

This repository serves as a learning project for building secure REST APIs with Node.js and Express. It provides a solid foundation for developing larger backend applications that require authentication, database integration, and CRUD functionality.