DevTinder Backend 🚀

📌 Overview

DevTinder is a MERN stack web application designed to help developers connect and collaborate, similar to Tinder but specifically for developers. Users can create profiles, explore other developers, send connection requests, and manage their matches.

This repository contains the backend of DevTinder, built with Node.js, Express, and MongoDB, following a microservices architecture for scalability.

⚠️ Note: The backend is fully functional and ready for further scaling and optimizations.

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📖 My Node.js Learning Repository

I learned and maintained all my Node.js knowledge in one place: Namsate Nodejs

🛠️ Tech Stack

• Backend Framework: Node.js + Express.js
• Database: MongoDB + Mongoose
• Authentication: JWT (JSON Web Tokens) + Cookies
• Encryption: bcryptjs for password hashing
• API Testing: Postman
• Environment Variables Management: dotenv
• Package Manager: npm

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🔑 Features Implemented

1. Authentication System

✅ User Signup, Login, and Logout
✅ JWT-based authentication with secure cookies
✅ Password encryption using bcryptjs
✅ Authentication middleware to protect routes

2. User Profile Management

✅ View user profile
✅ Edit profile details (restricted fields for security)
✅ Update password with validation

3. Connection Request System

✅ Send connection requests (Interested or Ignored)
✅ Accept or reject received requests
✅ Prevent duplicate requests using MongoDB validation
✅ Prevent self-requests using Mongoose .pre middleware

4. Feed API & Pagination

✅ Fetch suggested developers while excluding:

• Logged-in user
• Existing connections
• Ignored users
• Users with pending requests
  ✅ Implemented pagination using skip & limit
  ✅ Optimized query using MongoDB $nin and $ne operators

5. Database Design

✅ User Schema:

• Sanitized input fields (trim, lowercase, validation)
• Unique constraints on email and username

✅ ConnectionRequest Schema:

• fromUserId, toUserId, status with enum validation
• Indexed fields for optimized queries
• Prevents multiple requests between the same users

6. Advanced Query Optimization

✅ Indexes & Compound Indexes:

• Used index: true for faster queries
• Implemented compound indexes to optimize search

7. Middleware Implementation

✅ Authentication Middleware: Protects private routes
✅ Error Handling Middleware: Centralized error response
✅ Mongoose .pre Middleware: Prevents self-requests

8. Express Router Structure

✅ Modular route organization for maintainability
✅ APIs structured into separate routers (auth, profile, connections, users)

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🚀 API Endpoints

1️⃣ Authentication Routes

Method	Endpoint	Description	Auth Required
POST	/auth/signup	Register a new user	❌
POST	/auth/login	Authenticate user & issue JWT	❌
POST	/auth/logout	Logout user by clearing JWT cookie	✅

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2️⃣ User Profile Routes

Method	Endpoint	Description	Auth Required
GET	/profile/view	Get logged-in user profile	✅
PATCH	/profile/edit	Update allowed profile fields	✅
PATCH	/profile/password	Update user password	✅

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3️⃣ Connection Request Routes

Method	Endpoint	Description	Auth Required
POST	/request/send/:status/:toUserId	Send a connection request (Interested/Ignored)	✅
POST	/request/review/:status/:requestId	Accept/Reject a request	✅
GET	/user/requests/received	Fetch pending connection requests	✅
GET	/user/connections	Fetch accepted connections	✅

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4️⃣ Feed API & Pagination

Method	Endpoint	Description	Auth Required
GET	/user/feed?page=1&limit=10	Get suggested developer profiles with pagination	✅

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🏗️ Setup & Running the Server

1️⃣ Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/akshadjaiswal/devTinder-backend.git
cd devTinder-backend

2️⃣ Set Up Environment Variables

Create a .env file and add:

DATABASE_URL=mongodb+srv://<username>:<password>@cluster0.mongodb.net/devTinder
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
PORT=3000

3️⃣ Start the Backend Server

npm start

Server runs at: http://localhost:3000/

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🔗 Frontend Integration

The frontend for DevTinder is available at: 🔗 DevTinder Frontend Repository

Make sure the backend is running before accessing the frontend.

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Learning Resources

Explore my additional repositories to deepen your understanding of related topics in the JavaScript ecosystem:

• Namaste Javascript: A repository focused on learning Javascript concepts, from basics to advanced programming.
• Namaste React: A repository dedicated to mastering React.js, covering foundational and advanced aspects of building interactive UIs.

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📢 Contribution Guidelines

Since the project is now fully functional, improvements are still welcome! ✅ Feel free to open issues for bugs or feature requests.
✅ Fork the repository and submit a pull request.

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📌 Future Enhancements

🔹 Real-time notifications using WebSockets
🔹 Messaging System for better user interaction
🔹 Profile Search & Filtering
🔹 Unit Testing for API reliability

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📜 License

This project is open-source and available under the MIT License.

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