Property Listing & Recommendation API

A robust backend API for property listings with advanced search, user authentication, favorites management, and property recommendation features. Designed for real estate platforms to manage properties and user interactions efficiently.

Key Features

• 🔐 User Authentication: Secure JWT-based registration/login
• 🏠 Property Management: Full CRUD operations with ownership validation
• 🔍 Advanced Search: 10+ filter parameters for property discovery
• ⚡ Performance Optimized: Redis caching for frequent operations
• ❤️ Favorites System: Save and manage favorite properties
• 📬 Recommendation Engine: Share properties with other users

Technology Stack

• Runtime: Node.js 18.x
• Framework: Express 4.x
• Database: MongoDB (with Mongoose ODM)
• Caching: Redis 7.x
• Authentication: JWT
• API Documentation: OpenAPI

API Documentation

Authentication Endpoints

Endpoint	Method	Description	Auth Required
/api/auth/register	POST	Register new user	No
/api/auth/login	POST	User login	No
/api/auth/me	GET	Get current user	Yes
/api/auth/logout	POST	Logout user	Yes

Property Endpoints

Endpoint	Method	Description	Auth Required
/api/properties	POST	Create new property	Yes
/api/properties	GET	Search properties with filters	No
/api/properties/:id	GET	Get property by ID	No
/api/properties/:id	PATCH	Update property	Yes (Owner)
/api/properties/:id	DELETE	Delete property	Yes (Owner)

Favorite Endpoints

Endpoint	Method	Description	Auth Required
/api/favorites	GET	Get user's favorites	Yes
/api/favorites/:propertyId	POST	Add to favorites	Yes
/api/favorites/:propertyId	DELETE	Remove from favorites	Yes

Recommendation Endpoints

Endpoint	Method	Description	Auth Required
/api/recommendations/search-users	GET	Search users by email	Yes
/api/recommendations/send	POST	Send property recommendation	Yes
/api/recommendations/received	GET	Get received recommendations	Yes
/api/recommendations/sent	GET	Get sent recommendations	Yes
/api/recommendations/:id/read	PATCH	Mark as read	Yes
/api/recommendations/:id	DELETE	Delete recommendation	Yes

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18.x
• MongoDB 7.0+
• Redis 7.x
• NPM 9.x+

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/your-username/backend-hypergro.git
cd backend-hypergro

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Create .env file:

MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/property
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379
JWT_SECRET=your_strong_secret_here
PORT=3000

4. Run the initializeCounter.js file:

npm run initializeCounter.js

This needs to be done only once before running the main file server.js, so that the _id value for the properties gets initialized and then is automatically incremented/decremented when new properties are added/removed.

5. Start the development server:

npm run dev

Testing

# Run unit tests
npm test

# Run tests with coverage
npm test -- --coverage

Advanced Search Parameters

Search properties with any combination of these filters:

GET /api/properties?search=luxury&minPrice=100000&maxPrice=500000
&type=villa&minArea=2000&maxArea=5000&bedrooms=4&bathrooms=3
&furnished=true&state=California&city=Los Angeles&listingType=sale
&minRating=4&isVerified=true&tags=luxury|pool&availableFrom=2024-01-01
&sortBy=price&sortOrder=desc&page=1&limit=10

Deployment

Environment Setup

# Production build
npm run build

# Start production server
npm start

Docker Deployment

docker build -t backend-hypergro .
docker run -p 3000:3000 -d backend-hypergro

Database Schema

Property Model

{
  _id: String,          // Format: PROP123
  title: String,
  description: String,
  price: Number,
  type: String,          // ['apartment', 'house', 'villa', ...]
  areaSqFt: Number,
  bedrooms: Number,
  bathrooms: Number,
  furnished: Boolean,
  state: String,
  city: String,
  listedBy: String,      // Reference to User's listedBy field
  listingType: String,   // ['sale', 'rent']
  rating: Number,
  isVerified: Boolean,
  tags: [String],
  availableFrom: Date,
  images: [String],
  createdAt: Date,
  updatedAt: Date
}

Recommendation Model

{
  property: String,      // Property ID
  fromUser: ObjectId,    // Sender user ID
  toUser: ObjectId,      // Recipient user ID
  message: String,
  isRead: Boolean,       // Default: false
  createdAt: Date,
  updatedAt: Date
}

Caching Strategy

Redis is used to optimize these operations:

Operation	Cache Key Pattern	TTL
Property Search	properties:<query_hash>	5 min
Single Property	property:<id>	5 min
User Favorites	favorites:<userId>	5 min
Recommendations	recommendations:received:<userId>	5 min

Cache is automatically invalidated on:

• Property create/update/delete
• Favorite add/remove
• Recommendation send/mark read/delete

Rate Limiting

The API is protected with rate limiting:

• 100 requests per IP every 15 minutes
• Exceptions applied to authentication endpoints

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/your-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -am 'Add some feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/your-feature)
5. Open a pull request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.