Contact Manager

Welcome to the Contact Manager project! This application allows users to manage their contacts efficiently. Built with Node.js, Express, and MongoDB, it offers a robust backend to handle CRUD operations and user authentication.

Demo: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17hkJvKXdep2t1QlmOyTz7KIWirWk0xIb/view

Table of Contents

1. Features
2. Tech Stack
3. Getting Started
4. Configuration
5. Folder Structure
6. API Endpoints
7. Authentication
8. Testing APIs
9. Running the Project
10. Contributing
11. License

Features

• CRUD Operations: Create, Read, Update, and Delete contacts.
• User Authentication: Secure endpoints using JWT authentication.
• Environment Configurations: Manage sensitive information using environment variables.

Tech Stack

• Backend: Node.js, Express
• Database: MongoDB
• Authentication: JWT (JSON Web Tokens)
• Environment Management: dotenv

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following installed:

• Node.js
• MongoDB (or use a cloud instance like MongoDB Atlas)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/contact-manager.git

2. Navigate to the project directory:

   cd contact-manager

3. Install the required dependencies:

   npm install

Configuration

Create a .env file in the root directory of the project and add the following environment variables:

PORT=5000
CONNECTION_STRING=mongodb+srv://<username>:<password>@<cluster-url>/mycontacts-backend?retryWrites=true&w=majority&appName=<appName>
ACCESS_TOKEN_SECRET=<your_jwt_secret>

Replace <username>, <password>, <cluster-url>, and <appName> with your MongoDB credentials and cluster details. Set your own JWT secret for ACCESS_TOKEN_SECRET.

Folder Structure

Here's a brief overview of the project structure:

contact-manager/
│
├── config/              # Configuration files (e.g., DB connection, JWT)
│   └── db.js            # MongoDB connection setup
│
├── controllers/         # Request handlers
│   ├── authController.js
│   └── contactController.js
│
├── middleware/          # Middleware functions
│   └── authMiddleware.js # JWT authentication middleware
│
├── models/              # Mongoose models
│   ├── User.js
│   └── Contact.js
│
├── routes/              # Express routes
│   ├── authRoutes.js
│   └── contactRoutes.js
│
├── .env                 # Environment variables
├── app.js               # Entry point of the application
├── package.json         # Project metadata and dependencies
└── README.md            # Project documentation

API Endpoints

Authentication

• POST /api/auth/register - Register a new user
• POST /api/auth/login - Authenticate a user and get a JWT

Contacts

• GET /api/contacts - Get all contacts (requires authentication)
• POST /api/contacts - Create a new contact (requires authentication)
• GET /api/contacts/:id - Get a specific contact by ID (requires authentication)
• PUT /api/contacts/:id - Update a contact by ID (requires authentication)
• DELETE /api/contacts/:id - Delete a contact by ID (requires authentication)

Authentication

JWT authentication is used to secure the API endpoints. Here's a brief overview of how it works:

1. User Registration: Users can register by sending a POST request to /api/auth/register with their credentials.
2. User Login: Users authenticate by sending a POST request to /api/auth/login. Upon successful login, they receive a JWT token.
3. Access Protected Routes: Include the JWT token in the Authorization header (as Bearer <token>) for accessing protected routes.

The JWT token is used to verify the identity of the user and ensure they have the right to access specific resources.

Testing APIs

You can test the APIs using tools like Thunder Client and Insomnia. Here’s how:

Thunder Client

1. Install Thunder Client: You can find it in the VS Code extensions marketplace.
2. Set Up Requests: Create new requests for each endpoint with the appropriate HTTP method.
3. Add Headers: For protected routes, include the Authorization header with the value Bearer <your_token>.

Insomnia

1. Install Insomnia: Download and install Insomnia from Insomnia.
2. Create Requests: Add new requests for each API endpoint.
3. Set Authentication: Use the JWT token for authentication by adding it in the Authorization header with the value Bearer <your_token>.

Running the Project

To start the application, run:

npm start

The server will run on http://localhost:5000 by default.

Contributing

Feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request if you want to contribute to the project. Please follow the guidelines outlined in the CONTRIBUTING.md file.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.