DevConnect Backend

A developer networking platform backend API that enables developers to connect, interact, and build professional relationships - think Tinder, but for developers!

Features

• User Authentication: Secure signup/login with JWT tokens and bcrypt password hashing
• Profile Management: Create and update developer profiles with skills, photos, and bio
• Connection System: Send, accept, or reject connection requests between developers
• User Discovery: Browse and discover other developers on the platform
• Payment Integration: Razorpay integration for premium features
• Real-time Chat: Instant messaging between connected users powered by Socket.io
• CORS Enabled: Ready for frontend integration

Tech Stack

• Runtime: Node.js
• Framework: Express.js
• Database: MongoDB with Mongoose ODM
• Authentication: JWT (JSON Web Tokens) + bcrypt
• Payment: Razorpay
• Validation: Validator.js

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• MongoDB Atlas account or local MongoDB instance
• Razorpay account (for payment features)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone <repository-url>
cd devtinder

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Create a .env file in the root directory:

MONGODB_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_key

4. Start the development server:

npm run dev

Or for production:

npm start

The server will run on http://localhost:3000

API Routes

Authentication

• POST /signup - Register a new user
• POST /login - Login user

Profile

• GET /profile/view - View your profile
• PATCH /profile/edit - Update profile information

Connection Requests

• POST /request/send/:status/:userId - Send connection request (interested/ignored)
• POST /request/review/:status/:requestId - Accept or reject connection request

Users

• GET /user/requests/received - View received connection requests
• GET /user/connections - View accepted connections
• GET /user/feed - Discover new developers

Chat

• GET /chat/:targetUserId - Get chat history with a specific user (Supports pagination: ?limit=20&before=TIMESTAMP)

Payments

• POST /payment/create - Create payment order (Placeholder)

Socket.io Events

Client Emits

• joinChat - Join a private chat room
  • Payload: { targetUserId: "..." }
• sendMessage - Send a message to a friend
  • Payload: { targetUserId: "...", text: "..." }

Server Emits

• messageReceived - Received when a new message comes in
  • Payload: { text: "...", senderId: "...", senderName: "...", timestamp: ... }

User Schema

{
  firstName: String (required, 2-50 chars),
  lastName: String,
  emailId: String (required, unique, validated),
  password: String (required, strong password, 6-100 chars),
  age: Number (min: 18),
  gender: String (Male/Female/Other),
  photoUrl: String (default avatar provided),
  about: String (max 80 chars),
  skills: [String]
}

Chat Schema

{
  participants: [{ type: ObjectId, ref: 'User' }],
  messages: [{
    senderId: { type: ObjectId, ref: 'User' },
    text: String,
    createdAt: Date
  }]
}

Connection Request Schema

{
  fromUserId: ObjectId (ref: User),
  toUserId: ObjectId (ref: User),
  status: String (ignored/interested/accepted/rejected)
}

Security Features

• Password hashing with bcrypt
• JWT token-based authentication
• Strong password validation
• Email validation
• Protected routes with authentication middleware

CORS Configuration

The API is configured to accept requests from:

• http://localhost:5173 (Local Development)
• https://dev-connect-frontend-theta.vercel.app (Production)

Allowed Methods: GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, OPTIONS Update the CORS settings in src/app.js if your frontend URL changes.

Development

npm run dev  # Runs with nodemon for auto-reload

Author

Prarthana Purohit

License

ISC