Smart School Blog Backend

A NestJS backend application for a smart school blog system with JWT authentication, AI-powered post summaries, user management, events, and comments.

Features

• Authentication: JWT-based user authentication and authorization
• User Management: User registration, login, and profile management
• Posts: Create, read, update, delete blog posts with AI-generated summaries
• Comments: Comment system for posts
• Events: Event creation and management system
• Admin Panel: Admin users can manage all content
• AI Integration: Automatic AI summary generation using Google Gemini API

Prerequisites

Before running this application, make sure you have the following installed:

• Node.js (v18 or higher)
• npm or yarn
• PostgreSQL database
• Google Gemini API Key (for AI summaries)

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/Nick-Lemy/smart-school-blog_backend.git
   cd smart-school-blog_backend

2. Install dependencies

   npm install

3. Set up environment variables

   Create a .env file in the root directory with the following variables:

   # Database Configuration
   DATABASE_URL="postgresql://username:password@localhost:5432/smart_school_blog"
   
   # JWT Configuration
   JWT_SECRET="your-super-secret-jwt-key-change-this-in-production"
   
   # AI Integration
   GEMINI_API_KEY="your-gemini-api-key-for-ai-summaries"

   Important Environment Variables:

   • DATABASE_URL: PostgreSQL connection string
   • JWT_SECRET: Secret key for JWT token signing (use a strong, unique key in production)
   • GEMINI_API_KEY: Google Gemini API key for AI summary generation

Database Setup

1. Set up PostgreSQL database

   Create a new PostgreSQL database for the application.

2. Run Prisma migrations

   npx prisma migrate dev

3. Generate Prisma Client

   npx prisma generate

4. Optional: Seed the database

   npx prisma db seed

Running the Application

Development Mode

With npm:

npm run start:dev

With yarn:

yarn start:dev

The application will start on http://localhost:3000

Production Mode

1. Build the application

   With npm:

npm run build

With yarn:

yarn build

2. Start the production server

   With npm:

npm run start:prod

With yarn:

yarn start:prod

Other Available Scripts

Script	npm Command	yarn Command	Description
Start	npm run start	yarn start	Start the application
Lint	npm run lint	yarn lint	Run ESLint
Unit Tests	npm run test	yarn test	Run unit tests
End-to-End Tests	npm run test:e2e	yarn test:e2e	Run end-to-end tests
Test Coverage	npm run test:cov	yarn test:cov	Run tests with coverage

Project Structure

src/
├── auth/           # Authentication module (JWT, guards, strategies)
├── user/           # User management module
├── post/           # Blog posts module with AI summaries
├── comment/        # Comments module
├── event/          # Events module
├── prisma/         # Prisma service and configuration
├── main.ts         # Application entry point
└── app.module.ts   # Root application module

prisma/
├── schema.prisma   # Database schema
└── migrations/     # Database migrations

generated/
└── prisma/         # Generated Prisma client

API Documentation

For complete API documentation, see API_DOCUMENTATION.md

Key Features Explained

AI-Powered Summaries

• Posts automatically generate AI summaries using Google Gemini API
• Summaries are stored in the database for quick access
• Fallback to truncated content if AI service is unavailable

Admin System

• Users with isVerified: true have admin privileges
• Admins can delete/update any content (posts, events, users)
• Regular users can only manage their own content

Authentication & Authorization

• JWT-based authentication
• Role-based access control
• Protected endpoints require valid JWT tokens

Environment Variables Reference

Variable	Description	Required	Default
DATABASE_URL	PostgreSQL connection string	Yes	-
JWT_SECRET	Secret key for JWT tokens	Yes	-
GEMINI_API_KEY	Google Gemini API key for AI summaries	Yes	-

Database Schema

The application uses the following main entities:

• User: User accounts with roles and verification status
• Post: Blog posts with AI-generated summaries
• Comment: Comments on posts
• Event: School events with attendee management

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Database Connection Error

   • Verify your DATABASE_URL is correct
   • Ensure PostgreSQL is running
   • Check database credentials

2. AI Summary Generation Fails

   • Verify your GEMINI_API_KEY is valid
   • Check internet connection
   • The app will fallback to truncated summaries

3. JWT Authentication Issues

   • Ensure JWT_SECRET is set in environment variables
   • Check if JWT token is being sent in Authorization header

Database Reset

If you need to reset your database:

npx prisma migrate reset

Warning: This will delete all data in your database.

Support

For support and questions, please open an issue in the GitHub repository.