MEAN.JS is a full-stack JavaScript open-source solution, which provides a solid starting point for MongoDB, Node.js, Express, and AngularJS based applications. The idea is to solve the common issues with connecting those frameworks, build a robust framework to support daily development needs, and help developers use better practices while working with popular JavaScript components.

Before You Begin

Before you begin we recommend you read about the basic building blocks that assemble a MEAN.JS application:

• MongoDB - Go through MongoDB Official Website and proceed to their Official Manual, which should help you understand NoSQL and MongoDB better.
• Express - The best way to understand express is through its Official Website, which has a Getting Started guide, as well as an ExpressJS Guide guide for general express topics. You can also go through this StackOverflow Thread for more resources.
• AngularJS - Angular's Official Website is a great starting point. You can also use Thinkster Popular Guide, and the Egghead Videos.
• Node.js - Start by going through Node.js Official Website and this StackOverflow Thread, which should get you going with the Node.js platform in no time.

Prerequisites

Make sure you have installed all of the following prerequisites on your development machine:

• Node.js - Download & Install Node.js and the npm package manager. If you encounter any problems, you can also use this GitHub Gist to install Node.js.
• MongoDB - Download & Install MongoDB, and make sure it's running on the default port (27017).
• Ruby - Download & Install Ruby
• Bower - You're going to use the Bower Package Manager to manage your front-end packages. Make sure you've installed Node.js and npm first, then install bower globally using npm:

$ npm install -g bower

• Grunt - You're going to use the Grunt Task Runner to automate your development process. Make sure you've installed Node.js and npm first, then install grunt globally using npm:

$ npm install -g grunt-cli

Cloning The GitHub Repository

The recommended way to get Giphders is to use git to directly clone the repository:

$ git clone https://github.com/mhenke/assignment.git giphder

This will clone the latest version of the repository to a giphder folder.

Quick Install

Once you've cloned the repository and installed all the prerequisites, you're just a few steps away from starting to develop your giphder application.

The first thing you should do is install the Node.js dependencies. The boilerplate comes pre-bundled with a package.json file that contains the list of modules you need to start your application. To learn more about the modules installed visit the NPM & Package.json section.

To install Node.js dependencies you're going to use npm again. In the application folder run this in the command-line:

$ npm install

This command does a few things:

• First it will install the dependencies needed for the application to run.
• If you're running in a development environment, it will then also install development dependencies needed for testing and running your application.
• Finally, when the install process is over, npm will initiate a bower install command to install all the front-end modules needed for the application

Running Your Application

After the install process is over, you'll be able to run your application using Grunt, just run grunt default task:

$ grunt

Your application should run on port 3000 with the development environment configuration, so in your browser just go to http://localhost:3000

That's it! Your application should be running.