README.md

The official REST API powering ⛓️‍💥 NEXUS — aiming to be the central nervous system for all student clubs at the Army Institute of Technology, Pune. Built with ❤️ by the FE Members of GDG AIT.

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🌐 Live

Service	URL
🖥️ Frontend (NEXUS)	syncaitpune.vercel.app
⚙️ Backend API Root	/ → SYNC AIT BACKEND API

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🔒 Overview

sync-backend-api is a production-grade Node.js + Express REST API that drives the NEXUS platform. It handles everything from secure authentication flows (local + Google OAuth) to dynamic form management and task creation — all persisted in a MongoDB database via Mongoose.

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✨ Tech Stack

Layer	Technology
Runtime	Node.js (ESModules)
Framework	Express v5
Database	MongoDB + Mongoose
Auth	JWT (httpOnly Cookies) + Google OAuth 2.0
Email	Nodemailer + Resend
Security	bcrypt, CORS with credentials
Dev Tool	Nodemon

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Prerequisites

• Node.js v18+
• A running MongoDB instance (local or Atlas)
• Google OAuth credentials (for Google login)
• SMTP credentials for email (Nodemailer / Resend)

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/MyTricks-code/sync-backend-api.git
cd sync-backend-api

2. Install dependencies

npm install

3. Configure environment variables

Create a .env file in the project root:

# Server
PORT=8000
ORIGIN=http://localhost:5173

# MongoDB
MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string

# JWT
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret

# Google OAuth
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your_google_client_id

# Email (Nodemailer)
SMTP_HOST=smtp.example.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USER=your_email@example.com
SMTP_PASS=your_email_password

# Resend (alternative email provider)
RESEND_API_KEY=your_resend_api_key

4. Run in development

npm run dev

The server will start on http://localhost:8000.

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📡 API Reference

All routes are prefixed with /api.

🔐 Auth — /api/auth

Method	Endpoint	Auth Required	Description
POST	/register	❌	Register a new user
POST	/login	❌	Login with email & password
POST	/logout	❌	Logout (clears cookie)
POST	/verify-otp	✅	Send email verification OTP
POST	/verify-account	✅	Verify account with OTP
POST	/forget-password	❌	Send forgot-password OTP
POST	/verify-forget-otp	❌	Verify OTP & reset password
POST	/update-user-info	✅	Update profile information
POST	/google-auth	❌	Sign in / Sign up via Google
GET	/get-user-info	✅	Fetch authenticated user's profile

📋 Forms — /api/forms

Method	Endpoint	Auth Required	Description
POST	/create-form	✅	Create a new form
GET	/get-user-forms	✅	Fetch all forms created by user
PUT	/edit-form	✅	Edit an existing form
DELETE	/delete-form	✅	Delete a form
GET	/get-public-forms	✅	Get all public forms
GET	/get-form/:formId	✅	Get a specific form by ID

📨 Responses — /api/response

Method	Endpoint	Auth Required	Description
Managed by responseController		✅	Form response submission & retrieval

✅ Tasks — /api/task

Method	Endpoint	Auth Required	Description
POST	/create-task	✅	Create a new task

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🧱 Project Structure

sync-backend/
├── config/
│   ├── mongoDB.js       # MongoDB connection setup
│   └── nodeMailer.js    # Nodemailer transporter config
├── controllers/
│   ├── userController.js    # Auth & user management logic
│   ├── googleAuth.js        # Google OAuth handler
│   ├── formController.js    # Form CRUD operations
│   ├── responseController.js# Form response handling
│   └── taskController.js    # Task creation logic
├── helpers/             # Utility functions (email senders, etc.)
├── middlewares/
│   └── userAuth.js      # JWT authentication middleware
├── models/
│   ├── userModel.js     # User schema (local + Google auth)
│   ├── formsModel.js    # Form schema
│   ├── responseModel.js # Response schema
│   └── taskModel.js     # Task schema
├── routes/
│   ├── authRoutes.js
│   ├── formRoutes.js
│   ├── responseRoutes.js
│   └── taskRoutes.js
├── index.js             # App entry point
└── package.json

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🔑 Auth Flow

┌─────────────┐     Register/Login      ┌──────────────┐
│   Client    │ ──────────────────────► │  Express API │
│  (NEXUS FE) │ ◄─────────────────────  │              │
└─────────────┘   httpOnly JWT Cookie   └──────┬───────┘
                                               │
                    ┌──────────────────────────┼──────────┐
                    ▼                          ▼          ▼
              Email OTP              Google OAuth 2.0   MongoDB
              Verification           (google-auth-lib)

Tokens are stored as httpOnly cookies — never exposed to JavaScript — for maximum security.

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🔗 Explore the full NEXUS ecosystem: github.com/Jitesh-Yadav01/NEXUS

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_{© 2025–26 GDG AIT Pune Frontend Team · Built for AIT Pune's student community 🎓}