yatulearn-server

Backend server for YATU Learn platform.

Setup Instructions

1. Install Dependencies

npm install

2. Configure Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the root directory:

# Database
MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string

# JWT Secrets
Jwt_Sec=your_jwt_secret_key
Activation_Secret=your_activation_secret_key
Forgot_Secret=your_forgot_password_secret_key

# Email Configuration (Gmail)
Gmail=your_email@gmail.com
Password=your_gmail_app_password

# Frontend URL
frontendurl=https://www.yatulearn.fun

# Server
PORT=8080
NODE_ENV=development

3. Email Service Setup

Option A: Resend (RECOMMENDED - works on all platforms including Render)

1. Sign up at https://resend.com (free 3,000 emails/month)
2. Get your API key from dashboard
3. Add to .env:

   RESEND_API_KEY=re_xxxxxxxxxxxxx
   RESEND_FROM_EMAIL=onboarding@resend.dev
   

4. That's it! ✅

Option B: Gmail SMTP (may not work on Render due to blocked ports)

⚠️ Gmail SMTP often doesn't work on cloud platforms like Render.

If you still want to try:

1. Go to https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords
2. Generate a 16-character App Password
3. Add to .env:

   Gmail=your_email@gmail.com
   Password=xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
   

4. Run the Server

Development:

npm run dev

Production:

npm start

Deployment on Render

Make sure to set these environment variables in Render dashboard:

• MONGO_URI - Your MongoDB connection string
• Jwt_Sec - Secret key for JWT tokens
• Activation_Secret - Secret key for activation tokens
• Forgot_Secret - Secret key for password reset tokens
• RESEND_API_KEY - Your Resend API key (get from https://resend.com)
• RESEND_FROM_EMAIL - onboarding@resend.dev (or your verified domain)
• frontendurl - Your frontend URL (e.g., https://www.yatulearn.fun)
• NODE_ENV - Set to production

Optional (Gmail fallback - not recommended for Render):

• Gmail - Your Gmail address
• Password - Gmail App Password

Common Issues

Email not sending

• Use Resend instead of Gmail - it's more reliable on cloud platforms
• Check Render logs for email errors
• Verify RESEND_API_KEY is set correctly
• Make sure you're using onboarding@resend.dev or a verified domain