/NoteNexus

This is a note-taking application built using Node.js, Express, MongoDB, and EJS, with additional support for guest access, authentication, and a clean user interface.

Primary LanguageEJSMIT LicenseMIT

NoteNexus

NoteNexus is a note-taking application built using Node.js, Express, MongoDB, and EJS, with additional support for guest access, authentication, and a clean user interface.

Deployment Link

This web application is live. Click here

Table of Contents

Features

  • User Registration & Login: Secure authentication using JWT with bcrypt password hashing.
  • Guest Access: Allows temporary guest users to explore the app.
  • CRUD Operations: Users can create, view, edit, and delete notes.
  • Search & Filtering: Full-text search based on note title.
  • Notes Management: Archive, delete, and restore notes.
  • Responsive UI: Built with Tailwind CSS for a mobile-first design.
  • Error Handling: Comprehensive error handling with proper HTTP status codes.
  • Secure Cookies: Tokens are stored in cookies with secure attributes in production.

Technologies Used

  • Backend: Node.js, Express.js, MongoDB, JWT, bcrypt
  • Templating: EJS
  • Frontend: Tailwind CSS
  • Validation: Zod
  • Session Management: Cookies, JWT
  • nanoid: For unique slug generation.
  • dotenv: For environment configuration.
  • node-cron: For scheduling automated tasks like deleting inactive users.

Setup

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following installed:

  • Node.js (v16+)
  • MongoDB

Installation

  1. Clone this repository:

    git clone https://github.com/mk-manishkumar/NoteNexus.git
cd note-taking-app

  2. Install the dependencies:

    npm install

  3. Set up environment variables:

    • Create a .env file in the root directory, or copy from .env.sample: 
      cp .env.sample .env
    • Fill in the required environment variables (see Environment Variables).

  4. Start the development server:

    npm run dev

Usage

Local Development

  1. Run MongoDB on your machine (or use MongoDB Atlas).
  2. Use the following commands to start the app: 
    npm run dev
  3. Open your browser and go to http://localhost:3000.

Environment Variables

Variable Description Example Value
JWT_SECRET Secret for user JWT tokens yourJWTSecret
GUEST_JWT_SECRET Secret for guest JWT tokens yourGuestJWTSecret
MONGO_URI MongoDB connection string mongodb://localhost/noteApp
NODE_ENV Environment (development/production) development
PORT Port for running the application 3000

Project Structure

├── config/                # Configuration files
├── controllers/           # Controllers for handling routes
├── middleware/            # Custom middleware functions
├── models/                # Mongoose schemas and models
├── public/                # Static files (CSS, JS, images)
├── routes/                # Route definitions
├── src/                   # Tailwind build 
├── utils/                 # Utility functions and helpers
├── views/                 # EJS templates
├── .env.sample            # Environment variables example
└── server.js              # Main server file

Improvements

While this application is fully functional, some possible future enhancements include:

  • Adding a Rich Text Editor for note creation.
  • Integrating OAuth for social login options.
  • Expanding the guest functionality to retain notes temporarily.

License

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

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