Add Express.js/JavaScript implementation of phpblog with complete feature parity

[rlbisbe]

Overview

This PR introduces a complete JavaScript/Express.js version of the phpblog application that replicates the entire architecture and functionality of the original PHP implementation. The new implementation maintains the same user experience while providing a modern Node.js backend.

Requirements Implemented

Core Application Setup

• ✅ Express.js server setup with comprehensive routing
• ✅ MySQL database integration using mysql2 client
• ✅ Connection to MySQL database 'blog' with 'posts' table
• ✅ EJS template engine for server-side rendering

Backend Functions (db.js)

Equivalent to backend.php functionality:

• ✅ theTitle() - Function to fetch and display blog title
• ✅ init(callback) - Function to initialize and fetch all posts from database
• ✅ addNewPost(title, text, callback) - Function to add new posts with title and text fields

Frontend Routes

All routes matching the current PHP application:

• ✅ GET / - Main blog page displaying all posts with login form
• ✅ POST /login - Login route handling user authentication
• ✅ GET /logout - Logout route clearing user session
• ✅ GET /admin - Admin panel route to view all posts (protected)
• ✅ GET /admin/new_post - Admin route to display new post form (protected)
• ✅ POST /admin/add_new_post - Admin route to add new posts (protected)

Security & Authentication

• ✅ Cookie-based authentication system using Express middleware
• ✅ requireAuth middleware to protect admin routes
• ✅ MD5 password hashing matching original PHP implementation
• ✅ Session management via cookies

View Templates

All EJS templates replicating the existing PHP page layouts:

• ✅ views/index.ejs - Main blog page
• ✅ views/login.ejs - Login result page
• ✅ views/logout.ejs - Logout confirmation
• ✅ views/admin/index.ejs - Admin panel
• ✅ views/admin/new_post.ejs - New post form
• ✅ views/admin/add_new_post.ejs - Post creation result

File Structure

phpblog/
├── app.js                      # Main Express application with routes
├── db.js                       # Database layer (MySQL connection and queries)
├── package.json                # Node.js dependencies
├── README.md                   # Documentation for Express.js version
└── views/                      # EJS templates
    ├── index.ejs              # Main blog page
    ├── login.ejs              # Login result page
    ├── logout.ejs             # Logout confirmation page
    └── admin/
        ├── index.ejs          # Admin panel
        ├── new_post.ejs       # New post form
        └── add_new_post.ejs   # Post creation result

Technical Details

Dependencies

• express ^4.18.2 - Web framework
• ejs ^3.1.9 - Template engine
• mysql2 ^3.6.5 - MySQL database client
• cookie-parser ^1.4.6 - Cookie parsing middleware
• body-parser ^1.20.2 - Form data parsing

Database Configuration

Matches original PHP configuration:

• Host: localhost
• User: root
• Password: macbook
• Database: blog
• Table: posts (id, title, text)

Authentication Credentials

• Username: roberto
• Password: password (MD5: 3bc2e28ca8940090c3d80c851784a5d5)

Installation & Usage

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start the server
npm start

# The application will run on http://localhost:3000

Testing Checklist

• Server starts successfully on port 3000
• Main page displays all posts from database
• Login form accepts correct credentials
• Login with correct credentials sets cookie and displays success
• Login with incorrect credentials displays failure message
• Logout clears session cookie
• Admin routes redirect unauthenticated users
• Admin panel displays all posts for authenticated users
• New post form is accessible to authenticated users
• Posts can be successfully added to database
• New posts appear on main page after creation

Behavior Parity

All routes and functionality match the current PHP application behavior, ensuring:

• Same authentication flow
• Same database operations
• Same page layouts and structure
• Same user experience
• Compatible with existing MySQL database

Notes

• Original PHP files remain untouched for backwards compatibility
• Both PHP and Express.js versions can coexist
• Express.js version uses the same database and credentials as PHP version
• All middleware and routing logic follows Express.js best practices