ReServe - Food Waste Reduction Platform

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18 or higher)
• npm (comes with Node.js)

Setup

1. Clone and Install

git clone https://github.com/adityakp15/ReServe.git
cd ReServe

2. Backend Setup (Optional - only if working on backend)

cd backend
npm install

Create backend/.env:

MONGO_URI=mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster.mongodb.net/ReServe?appName=ClusterName
JWT_SECRET=generate_with_command_below
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your_google_client_id.apps.googleusercontent.com
PORT=5001
NODE_ENV=development

Generate JWT_SECRET:

node -e "console.log(require('crypto').randomBytes(32).toString('hex'))"

Get from your team:

• MONGO_URI - MongoDB connection string (database is already hosted)
• GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID - Only needed if testing authentication features. Get from your team if needed.

Start backend:

npm start

3. Frontend Setup (Required)

cd frontend
npm install

Create frontend/.env:

VITE_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your_google_client_id.apps.googleusercontent.com
VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:5001

Get from your team:

• VITE_API_URL - Backend URL (use http://localhost:5001 if running backend locally, or your team's shared backend URL)
• VITE_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID - Only needed if testing login/signup features. Get from your team if needed.

Start frontend:

npm run dev

4. Access Application

Open http://localhost:5173 in your browser

Running the Project

If running both backend and frontend:

• Terminal 1: cd backend && npm start
• Terminal 2: cd frontend && npm run dev

If using shared backend (frontend only):

• Terminal: cd frontend && npm run dev

Troubleshooting

Backend won't start:

• Check all variables in backend/.env are set
• Verify MongoDB connection string is correct
• Port 5001 might be in use - change PORT in .env

Frontend won't start:

• Check all variables in frontend/.env are set
• Restart dev server after changing .env files

"Failed to fetch" error:

• Verify backend is running (if using local backend)
• Check VITE_API_URL matches your backend URL
• Restart both servers

Google Sign-In not working:

• Only needed if testing login/signup features
• Verify GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID is set in both .env files
• Use the same Client ID in frontend and backend
• Restart both servers after updating .env files