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TinySteps Backend API

Node.js + Express + MongoDB backend for TinySteps - Parental Management Platform

📋 Features

  • ✅ User Authentication (JWT)
  • ✅ Parent Account Management
  • ✅ Child Profile Management
  • ✅ Task/Routine Management
  • ✅ Reward System
  • ✅ Progress Tracking
  • ✅ Notification System
  • ✅ COPPA & GDPR Compliance
  • ✅ Security Best Practices
  • ✅ Rate Limiting
  • ✅ Error Handling

🛠️ Tech Stack

  • Runtime: Node.js
  • Framework: Express.js
  • Database: MongoDB
  • Authentication: JWT (JSON Web Tokens)
  • Password Hashing: bcryptjs
  • Validation: Mongoose Schema Validation
  • Security: Helmet.js, CORS, Rate Limiting
  • Development: Nodemon

📦 Installation

Prerequisites

  • Node.js (v16 or higher)
  • MongoDB (Local or MongoDB Atlas)
  • npm or yarn

Step 1: Install Dependencies

cd backend
npm install

Step 2: Environment Setup

Copy .env.example to .env and update the values:

cp .env.example .env

Important environment variables:

# MongoDB
MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/tinysteps

# Server
PORT=5000
NODE_ENV=development

# JWT
JWT_SECRET=your_super_secret_key_here
JWT_EXPIRE=7d

# CORS
FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:5173

# Database
DB_NAME=tinysteps

Step 3: Start MongoDB

Local MongoDB:

mongod

OR use MongoDB Atlas (Cloud):

  • Replace MONGODB_URI with your Atlas connection string
  • Format: mongodb+srv://username:[email protected]/tinysteps?retryWrites=true&w=majority

Step 4: Start the Server

Development mode (with auto-reload):

npm run dev

Production mode:

npm start

Server will be running at: http://localhost:5000

📁 Project Structure

backend/
├── config/
│   └── database.js           # MongoDB connection setup
├── models/
│   ├── User.js               # Parent user model
│   ├── Child.js              # Child profile model
│   ├── Task.js               # Task/routine model
│   ├── TaskCompletion.js     # Task completion tracking
│   ├── Reward.js             # Reward/sticker model
│   └── Notification.js       # Notification model
├── routes/                   # API routes (to be added)
├── controllers/              # Request handlers (to be added)
├── middleware/               # Custom middleware (to be added)
├── utils/                    # Helper functions (to be added)
├── .env                      # Environment variables
├── .env.example              # Environment template
├── .gitignore                # Git ignore rules
├── package.json              # Dependencies
└── server.js                 # Main server file

🗄️ Database Models

User (Parent)

  • Authentication & profile management
  • Child account ownership
  • Preferences & settings
  • GDPR compliance

Child

  • Child profile information
  • Age & preferences
  • Stats & achievements
  • Parent assignment

Task

  • Routine/task definitions
  • Scheduling & frequency
  • Points & rewards
  • Category & difficulty

TaskCompletion

  • Records task completions
  • Verification status
  • Photo evidence
  • Quality ratings

Reward

  • Reward definitions
  • Points/stickers cost
  • Redemption tracking
  • One-time or recurring

Notification

  • In-app & email notifications
  • Status & delivery tracking
  • Expiration handling
  • Priority levels

🔐 Security Features

  • ✅ Password hashing with bcryptjs
  • ✅ JWT token authentication
  • ✅ CORS protection
  • ✅ Helmet security headers
  • ✅ Rate limiting
  • ✅ Input validation
  • ✅ SQL injection prevention (Mongoose)
  • ✅ Account lockout (5 failed attempts)
  • ✅ HTTPS support (production)

🧪 Testing

# Run tests (to be added)
npm test

# Run tests with coverage
npm run test:coverage

📡 API Endpoints (Coming)

Authentication

  • POST /api/auth/register - Register new parent
  • POST /api/auth/login - Login parent
  • POST /api/auth/logout - Logout parent
  • POST /api/auth/refresh-token - Refresh JWT
  • POST /api/auth/forgot-password - Request password reset
  • POST /api/auth/reset-password - Reset password

Parents

  • GET /api/users/profile - Get parent profile
  • PUT /api/users/profile - Update parent profile
  • DELETE /api/users/account - Delete account

Children

  • POST /api/children - Create child profile
  • GET /api/children - Get all children
  • GET /api/children/:id - Get specific child
  • PUT /api/children/:id - Update child
  • DELETE /api/children/:id - Delete child

Tasks

  • POST /api/tasks - Create task
  • GET /api/tasks - Get all tasks
  • GET /api/tasks/:id - Get specific task
  • PUT /api/tasks/:id - Update task
  • DELETE /api/tasks/:id - Delete task
  • GET /api/tasks/child/:childId - Get child's tasks
  • POST /api/tasks/:id/complete - Mark task complete

Rewards

  • POST /api/rewards - Create reward
  • GET /api/rewards - Get all rewards
  • GET /api/rewards/:id - Get specific reward
  • PUT /api/rewards/:id - Update reward
  • DELETE /api/rewards/:id - Delete reward

Dashboard

  • GET /api/dashboard/stats - Get parent dashboard stats
  • GET /api/progress/child/:childId - Get child progress

🚀 Deployment

Docker (Recommended)

# Build Docker image
docker build -t tinysteps-backend .

# Run Docker container
docker run -p 5000:5000 --env-file .env tinysteps-backend

Heroku

# Install Heroku CLI
heroku login

# Create app
heroku create your-app-name

# Set environment variables
heroku config:set MONGODB_URI=your_atlas_uri
heroku config:set JWT_SECRET=your_secret

# Deploy
git push heroku main

AWS/DigitalOcean

See deployment guides in /docs/deployment

📝 Environment Variables Checklist

  • MONGODB_URI - Your MongoDB connection string
  • PORT - Server port (default: 5000)
  • JWT_SECRET - Secret key for JWT (min 32 characters)
  • JWT_EXPIRE - Token expiration (e.g., 7d)
  • NODE_ENV - development/production
  • FRONTEND_URL - Frontend URL for CORS
  • DB_NAME - Database name

🐛 Troubleshooting

MongoDB Connection Error

Error: connect ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:27017

Solution: Make sure MongoDB is running (mongod)

JWT Authentication Error

Error: JsonWebTokenError: invalid token

Solution: Check JWT_SECRET is set correctly & token is valid

CORS Error

Access to XMLHttpRequest blocked by CORS policy

Solution: Verify FRONTEND_URL in .env matches your frontend URL

Port Already in Use

Error: listen EADDRINUSE: address already in use :::5000

Solution: Change PORT in .env or kill process on port 5000

📖 Documentation

🤝 Contributing

  1. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
  2. Commit changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
  3. Push to branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
  4. Open a Pull Request

📄 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

📞 Support

For issues and questions:

Happy Coding! 🚀