/todo-done-express

backend

Primary LanguageJavaScript

Task Management Dashboard - Backend

This is the backend API for a Task Management Dashboard that includes user authentication, task management (CRUD operations), and a Kanban board feature. The backend is built using Express, connected to a MongoDB database, and uses JWT for user authentication. The frontend is built with Next.js, and the backend is designed to integrate seamlessly with it.

Features

  • User Authentication (Register/Login) using JWT.
  • Protected routes to allow only authenticated users to access tasks.
  • Create, Read, Update, and Delete tasks.
  • Tasks can be filtered and sorted by status, priority, and due date.
  • Tasks have a Kanban-style status with drag-and-drop functionality on the frontend.
  • User password encryption with bcryptjs.
  • Input validation using Zod.

Project Structure

task-manager-backend/
├── config/
│   └── db.js            # Database connection setup
├── controllers/
│   ├── authController.js # Handles authentication logic
│   └── taskController.js # Handles task CRUD logic
├── middlewares/
│   └── authMiddleware.js # Authentication middleware to protect routes
├── models/
│   ├── Task.js           # Task model schema
│   └── User.js           # User model schema
├── routes/
│   ├── authRoutes.js     # Routes for user authentication (login/register)
│   └── taskRoutes.js     # Routes for task operations (CRUD)
├── utils/
│   └── validate.js       # Zod validation schemas for input validation
├── .env                  # Environment variables (not included in version control)
├── app.js                # Main application file
├── package.json          # NPM dependencies and scripts
└── README.md             # Project documentation

Requirements

Before starting, ensure you have:

  • Node.js (version 14 or higher)
  • MongoDB (local or MongoDB Atlas)

Installation

  1. Clone the repository:

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

  2. Install dependencies:

    npm install

  3. Create a .env file:

    At the root of the project, create a .env file with the following contents:

    MONGO_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/taskmanager # Update this to your MongoDB URI
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret                      # Set a strong JWT secret

  4. Run the server:

    npm run dev

    The server will start on http://localhost:5000.

API Endpoints

Authentication Routes

Method Endpoint Description Protected
POST /api/auth/register Register a new user No
POST /api/auth/login Log in an existing user No

Task Management Routes

Method Endpoint Description Protected
GET /api/tasks Fetch all tasks for the logged-in user Yes
POST /api/tasks Create a new task Yes
PUT /api/tasks/:id Update an existing task Yes
DELETE /api/tasks/:id Delete a task Yes

Example API Responses

Register a New User

  • Endpoint: POST /api/auth/register
  • Request Body: 
    {
  "username": "JohnDoe",
  "email": "john@example.com",
  "password": "password123"
}
  • Response: 
    {
  "_id": "60d1d20d925f3b3f30fc446e",
  "username": "JohnDoe",
  "email": "john@example.com",
  "token": "your-jwt-token"
}

Login a User

  • Endpoint: POST /api/auth/login
  • Request Body: 
    {
  "username": "JohnDoe",
  "password": "password123"
}
  • Response: 
    {
  "_id": "60d1d20d925f3b3f30fc446e",
  "username": "JohnDoe",
  "email": "john@example.com",
  "token": "your-jwt-token"
}

Get All Tasks

  • Endpoint: GET /api/tasks
  • Response: 
    [
  {
    "_id": "60d1e5f9b2d3b6b5d865df36",
    "title": "Build the API",
    "description": "Finish building the backend API",
    "status": "In Progress",
    "priority": "High",
    "dueDate": "2023-12-01T00:00:00.000Z",
    "userId": "60d1d20d925f3b3f30fc446e"
  },
  {
    "_id": "60d1e602b2d3b6b5d865df37",
    "title": "Connect to MongoDB",
    "description": "Connect the API to a MongoDB database",
    "status": "To Do",
    "priority": "Medium",
    "dueDate": null,
    "userId": "60d1d20d925f3b3f30fc446e"
  }
]

Environment Variables

You need to define the following environment variables in your .env file:

Variable Description
MONGO_URI MongoDB connection string
JWT_SECRET Secret key for signing JWT tokens

Running the Project in Development

To start the development server with nodemon, use:

npm run dev

This will automatically restart the server when file changes are detected.

Error Handling

  • All request validation errors are handled using Zod.
  • Invalid JWT tokens return a 401 Unauthorized response.
  • MongoDB errors and other server errors return appropriate error responses.

Technologies Used

  • Node.js: Backend runtime environment.
  • Express: Web framework for Node.js.
  • MongoDB: NoSQL database for storing users and tasks.
  • Mongoose: Object Data Modeling (ODM) library for MongoDB.
  • JWT: For authentication and securing API endpoints.
  • Zod: Schema validation for user input.
  • bcryptjs: Password hashing.

Deployment

To deploy the backend:

  1. Set the environment variables (MONGO_URI, JWT_SECRET) on your hosting provider (e.g., Heroku, Vercel).
  2. Deploy the app on your preferred platform.
  3. Ensure the frontend is correctly pointing to the deployed API.