LMS Clone

A small Learning Management System built with Node.js, Express, EJS, and MySQL.

This project is meant for learning how a full-stack application works with:

• routes
• views
• middleware
• database queries
• authentication
• authorization
• file uploads
• end-to-end tests

Requirements

Install these before starting:

• Node.js 24 or newer
• npm
• MySQL server

Install Dependencies

From the project folder, run:

npm install

Environment Setup

Create a .env file in the project root.

Update the database username and password if your MySQL setup is different.

Database Setup

Create the development database and run the schema from db/schema.sql:

npm run db:setup

Seed the database with initial data:

npm run db:seed

The seed command uses the database connection from .env. It creates DB_NAME if it does not exist.

Start The App

For development with auto-restart:

npm run dev

For normal start:

npm start

Then open:

http://localhost:3000

Project Structure

server.js              Express app setup and server entrypoint
config/db.js           MySQL connection pool
middlewares/           Auth, role, and error middleware
routes/                App routes
views/                 EJS templates
public/style.css       CSS
uploads/               Uploaded lesson files
db/schema.sql              Database schema
scripts/db-setup.js    Sets up the database schema
scripts/db-seed.js     Seeds initial data
tests/e2e/             End-to-end tests

Test Setup

The tests use a separate database so they do not delete development data.

Create a .env.test file.

The test database name must include test. The test reset helper will refuse to run otherwise.

Create the test database:

CREATE DATABASE lms_clone_test;

Run Tests

Run all tests:

npm test

Or run the E2E suite directly:

npm run test:e2e

The E2E tests will:

• reset the test database
• seed admin, teacher, and student users
• start the Express app on a random port
• test login, logout, roles, courses, lessons, uploads, validation, and error pages

Seeded test users all use this password:

password123

Test users:

admin@example.com
teacher@example.com
student@example.com

Notes

• Do not commit .env.
• Uploaded files are ignored by git, except uploads/.gitkeep.
• Use parameterized SQL queries when adding database code.
• Keep the code simple and readable because this project is for learning.