AskMyDoc

AskMyDoc is a document question-answering application that allows users to upload PDF documents and ask questions about their content. The application uses AI to analyze the documents and provide relevant answers.

Project Structure

The project consists of two main parts:

1. Backend: A Node.js Express server that handles document processing, vector storage, and AI-powered question answering.
2. Frontend: A Next.js application that provides the user interface for document upload and chat interaction.

Deployment on Render.com

This project is configured for easy deployment on Render.com using the render.yaml file.

Prerequisites

1. A Render.com account
2. A Google Gemini API key
3. Clerk.com account for authentication (sign up at https://clerk.com)

Deployment Steps

1. Fork or clone this repository to your GitHub account

2. Set up a new Blueprint on Render.com:

   • Log in to your Render.com account
   • Go to the Dashboard and click "New Blueprint"
   • Connect your GitHub account and select the repository
   • Render will automatically detect the render.yaml file and set up the services

3. Configure environment variables:

   • For the backend service, you'll need to set:
     • GEMINI_API_KEY: Your Google Gemini API key
   • For the frontend service, you'll need to set:
     • NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY: Your Clerk publishable key
     • CLERK_SECRET_KEY: Your Clerk secret key

4. Deploy the services:

   • Render will automatically deploy both the frontend and backend services
   • The backend API will be available at https://askmydoc-backend.onrender.com
   • The frontend application will be available at https://askmydoc-frontend.onrender.com

Manual Deployment

If you prefer to deploy the services manually:

Backend Deployment

1. Create a new Web Service on Render.com
2. Connect your repository
3. Configure the service:
   • Name: askmydoc-backend
   • Environment: Node
   • Build Command: cd backend && npm install
   • Start Command: cd backend && node server.js
   • Environment Variables:
     • PORT: 10000
     • GEMINI_API_KEY: Your Google Gemini API key

Frontend Deployment

1. Create a new Web Service on Render.com
2. Connect your repository
3. Configure the service:
   • Name: askmydoc-frontend
   • Environment: Node
   • Build Command: cd frontend && npm install && npm run build
   • Start Command: cd frontend && npm start
   • Environment Variables:
     • NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL: The URL of your backend service (e.g., https://askmydoc-backend-lr1q.onrender.com)
     • NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY: Your Clerk publishable key
     • CLERK_SECRET_KEY: Your Clerk secret key

Local Development

Backend

1. Navigate to the backend directory: cd backend
2. Create a .env file based on .env.example
3. Install dependencies: npm install
4. Start the development server: npm run dev

Frontend

1. Navigate to the frontend directory: cd frontend
2. Create a .env.local file based on .env.example with the following variables:
   • NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL: URL of your backend (e.g., http://localhost:5000)
   • NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY: Your Clerk publishable key
   • CLERK_SECRET_KEY: Your Clerk secret key
3. Install dependencies: npm install
4. Start the development server: npm run dev

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "Not Found" error on frontend

   • Ensure Clerk authentication is properly configured with valid API keys
   • Check that you've set both NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY and CLERK_SECRET_KEY
   • Make sure your deployed domain is added to the allowed URLs in your Clerk dashboard
   • Verify that the Next.js build is correctly configured with output: 'standalone' in next.config.ts
   • Check that the start command in render.yaml is set to cd frontend && node .next/standalone/server.js
   • Ensure the PORT environment variable is set to 3000 in the frontend service

2. Clerk SignUp component error

   • If you see an error about the SignUp component not being configured correctly, ensure:
     • Your root route is a catch-all route (the project now uses [[...sign-in]] folder structure)
     • The middleware is properly configured to allow authentication routes
     • Your Clerk dashboard has the correct redirect URLs configured

3. Clerk Authentication Setup

   • In your Clerk dashboard, add your deployed frontend URL (e.g., https://askmydoc-frontend.onrender.com) to:
     • Allowed URLs in your application settings
     • Sign-in and Sign-up redirect URLs
     • After sign-in and After sign-up redirect URLs
   • Verify that your Clerk application settings allow the deployed domain

4. Deployment Configuration

   • For detailed deployment instructions and troubleshooting, refer to the RENDER_DEPLOYMENT.md file
   • For Clerk authentication setup, refer to the CLERK_SETUP.md file

License

ISC