Hikemeet Backend Setup and Usage Guide

This guide explains how to set up and use the backend code for the Hikemeet project. It covers cloning the repository, installing dependencies, configuring MongoDB and Firebase for both production and staging environments, and managing environment variables.

General Explanation

The Hikemeet backend is a robust application built with Node.js and Express, designed to support a social platform for hikers. It handles user authentication, trip management, group interactions, notifications, and image uploads. The architecture leverages a MongoDB database for data persistence and Firebase for authentication and other services. The application is containerized using Docker and deployed using Kubernetes, ensuring scalability and easy management across different environments.

Features

• 🏎️ Runtime & Framework: Node.js, Express.js
• 🛠️ Language & Tooling: TypeScript, ts-node, nodemon, ESLint, Prettier
• 💾 Database & ORM: MongoDB Atlas, Mongoose
• 🔒 Authentication & Notifications: Firebase Admin SDK, Expo Server SDK
• 🖼️ File & Media Handling: Cloudinary, Multer
• ⏰ Background Jobs & Scheduling: node-cron
• 📊 Logging & Monitoring: Winston, Morgan
• ✉️ Email Service: Nodemailer (Gmail SMTP)
• 🔑 Security & Configuration: dotenv, JSON Web Tokens
• 🐳 Containerization & Orchestration: Docker, Kubernetes (Deployments, Services, Ingress)
• 🚀 CI/CD Pipelines: GitHub Actions (build, test, deploy)

Prerequisites

Make sure you have the following installed on your system:

• Node.js (v16.x or higher)
• npm
• MongoDB (one for production, one for staging)
• Firebase project (one for production, one for staging)
• Git

How to Run

1. Clone the Repository

git clone <repository_url>
cd <repository_name>

2. Install Dependencies

npm install

3. Configure MongoDB

Create two MongoDB databases:

1. Production Database: This will hold production data.

2. Staging Database: This will hold staging data.

For MongoDB Atlas:

1. Log in to MongoDB Atlas.

2. Create two clusters/databases, one for production and one for staging.

3. Obtain the connection strings for both databases.

Update the .env file with these connection strings.

4. Configure Firebase

Set up two Firebase projects:

1. Production Firebase Project

* Go to the [Firebase Console](https://console.firebase.google.com).
* Create a new project for production.
* Add an app (Web/Android/iOS as required).
* Obtain the service account key JSON file and download it.

2. Staging Firebase Project

* Repeat the same steps to create a staging project.

Update the .env file to include Firebase configuration for both projects.

5. Environments

.env

NODE_ENV=local  # Use 'local', 'stage', or 'prod'

.env.local / .env.prod

PORT=

# MongoDB
MONGO_URI=

# Firebase
FIREBASE_TYPE=
FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID=
FIREBASE_PRIVATE_KEY_ID=
FIREBASE_PRIVATE_KEY=
FIREBASE_CLIENT_EMAIL=
FIREBASE_CLIENT_ID=
FIREBASE_AUTH_URI=
FIREBASE_TOKEN_URI=
FIREBASE_AUTH_PROVIDER_CERT_URL=
FIREBASE_CLIENT_CERT_URL=

# Cloudinary (Optional, if using image upload)
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=

# Mailer (Optional, if using email services)
MAILER_EMAIL=
MAILER_PASSWORD=

Switching Environments

Update the NODE_ENV value in .env to either local, stage, or prod.

NODE_ENV=prod

6. Start the Server

To run the server in different environments:

• Local Environment:

  npm run dev

• Production Environment:

  npm start

How it Works on Servers (Deployment)

The Hikemeet backend is designed for deployment in containerized environments, primarily using Docker and Kubernetes.

• Docker
  Uses a Dockerfile (Node.js 20) to:

  1. Install dependencies
  2. Build the TypeScript code
  3. Expose port 3000
  4. Run the app with npm start

• Kubernetes
  Includes the following manifests:

  • hikemeet.yaml
    • Deployment: 3 replicas of wooozai/hikemeet:latest
    • Env via Secret hikemeet-secrets
    • ClusterIP Service on port 80 → 3000
  • hikemeet-ingress.yaml
    • NGINX Ingress routing HTTP/HTTPS to hikemeet-service
    • SSL redirect, host hikemeet.com, TLS secret
  • hikemeet-secrets.example.yaml
    • Example Secret for sensitive env vars (MongoDB URI, Firebase keys, Cloudinary, mailer)
  • mongo-service.yaml
    • ExternalName Service pointing to your MongoDB Atlas cluster

• Deployment Steps

  1. Create/update your Kubernetes Secrets (or .env.* files).
  2. Apply manifests:

     kubectl apply -f kubernetes/hikemeet-secrets.example.yaml
     kubectl apply -f kubernetes/hikemeet.yaml
     kubectl apply -f kubernetes/mongo-service.yaml
     kubectl apply -f kubernetes/hikemeet-ingress.yaml
     

  3. Ensure you’re using the correct environment (.env.prod for production, .env.stage for staging).

Troubleshooting

• MongoDB Connection Issues:
  • Ensure the correct connection string is provided.
  • Verify network access rules in MongoDB Atlas.
• Firebase Authentication Issues:
  • Ensure the Firebase service account key is correctly configured.
  • Verify project permissions in the Firebase Console.

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