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Backend Local Development

This guide will walk you through setting up the backend environment for development.

Prerequisites​

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

Local Development Setup​

Getting Started​

  1. Clone the repository

    git clone <repository_url>
    cd apps/backend

  2. Install dependencies

    npm install

Environment Configuration​

Create a .env file in the root directory of your backend project with the following variables:

# Server Configuration
NODE_ENV=development
PORT=8090
EXPRESS_REQUEST_SIZE_LIMIT="5mb"

# Database Configuration
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://user:pass@localhost:5432/db?schema=public"

# Authentication
JWT_ACCESS_TOKEN_SECRET="lhflsdcshdlkflkfsldkcksldjljclsd"
JWT_REFRESH_TOKEN_SECRET="lhflsdcshdlkflkfsldkcksldjljclsd"
ACCESS_TOKEN_TIMEOUT=900
REFRESH_TOKEN_TIMEOUT="100h"

# Node Identification
NODE_ID="dev_node_1"

# AI configuration
GEMINI_API_KEY=""

# CORS Settings
CORS_WHITELIST="http://localhost:3000,http://localhost:5173,http://127.0.0.1:3000,http://127.0.0.1:3001,http://localhost:3001"

# Logging Configuration
SYSLOG_HOST=127.0.0.1
SYSLOG_PORT=514
SYSLOG_PROTOCOL=udp4
SYSLOG_LEVEL="warning"
LOG_LEVEL="info"
LOG_RETENTION=7
LOG_FILE_SIZE=1
caution

Be sure to replace the placeholder values with your actual configurations, especially the DATABASE_URL and JWT secrets for security purposes.

Firebase Configuration​

Generate Firebase key from Firebase console and rename the file to firebase-key.json in the root directory with the following structure:

{
    "type": "",
    "project_id": "",
    "private_key_id": "",
    "private_key": "",
    "client_email": "",
    "client_id": "",
    "auth_uri": "",
    "token_uri": "",
    "auth_provider_x509_cert_url": "",
    "client_x509_cert_url": "",
    "universe_domain": ""
}
warning

Fill in your actual Firebase credentials. Never commit this file to your repository.

Database Setup​

We use Prisma as our ORM for database management. Set up your database with these commands:

# Create database schema
npx prisma migrate dev

# Open visual database editor (optional)
npx prisma studio

The first command applies migrations based on your schema definition in prisma/schema.prisma, while the second opens a visual interface to manage your database at http://localhost:5555.

Running the Application​

Start the development server with hot-reload enabled:

npm run dev

Your API will be available at http://localhost:8090.

Troubleshooting​

If you encounter issues during setup or deployment, check the following:

  • Ensure PostgreSQL is running and accessible
  • Verify environment variables are correctly set
  • Check network connectivity for external services
  • Review logs for specific error messages

Additional Resources​