Collaborative-Edge

Collaborative-Edge is a full-stack application featuring a React-based frontend and a Node.js/Express backend, connected to a MongoDB database. The project is designed to facilitate concurrent development and execution of both the frontend and backend, making it ideal for collaborative projects.

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Table of Contents

1. Project Structure
2. Prerequisites
3. Setup Instructions
4. Running the Project
5. Frontend Overview
6. Backend Overview
7. Contributing
8. License

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Project Structure

Collaborative_Edge/
├── frontend/                # React frontend (Vite)
│   ├── node_modules/        # Frontend dependencies (not pushed to Git)
│   ├── public/              # Static assets
│   ├── src/                 # React source code
│   ├── .env                 # Frontend environment variables (not pushed to Git)
│   ├── package.json         # Frontend dependencies and scripts
│   └── ...                  # Other frontend files
├── backend/                 # Node.js/Express backend
│   ├── node_modules/        # Backend dependencies (not pushed to Git)
│   ├── models/              # MongoDB models
│   ├── routes/              # API routes
│   ├── .env                 # Backend environment variables (not pushed to Git)
│   ├── index.js             # Backend entry point
│   ├── package.json         # Backend dependencies and scripts
│   └── ...                  # Other backend files
├── node_modules/            # Node.js dependencies (not pushed to Git)
├── package.json             # Root package.json for concurrent execution
└── README.md                # Project documentation

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Prerequisites

Before running the project, ensure you have the following installed:

• Node.js (v16 or higher recommended)
• npm (comes with Node.js)
• MongoDB (running locally or a connection string to a remote instance)

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Setup Instructions

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/Umair-Habibx123/FYP_CE.git
   cd FYP_CE

2. Install root dependencies:

   npm install -g concurrently
   npm install --save-dev concurrently

3. Install frontend dependencies:

   cd frontend
   npm install

4. Install backend dependencies:

   cd ../backend
   npm install

5. Set up environment variables:

   • Frontend: Create a .env file in the frontend directory and add necessary variables (e.g., API endpoints).
   • Backend: Create a .env file in the backend directory and add your MongoDB connection string and other required variables.

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Running the Project

From the root directory, run:

npm run start

This command will concurrently start:

• The frontend development server (using Vite).
• The backend server (using nodemon for hot-reloading).

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Frontend Overview

The frontend is built using React with Vite for fast development. It includes:

• public/: Static assets like images and HTML files.
• src/: React components, styles, and application logic.
• .env: Environment variables for the frontend.

Running the Frontend Separately

cd frontend
npm run dev

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Backend Overview

The backend is built using Node.js and Express, with MongoDB as the database. It includes:

• models/: MongoDB schemas and models.
• routes/: API routes and controllers.
• .env: Environment variables for the backend.

Running the Backend Separately

cd backend
nodemon index.js

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Database Setup

This project uses MongoDB (Atlas). Follow these steps:

• Create a free cluster at MongoDB Atlas
• Whitelist your IP address.
• Create a database user and password.
• Copy the connection string into your .env: MONGO_URI=mongodb+srv://:@cluster0.mongodb.net/collaborativeEdge
• Models are automatically created in MongoDB when used in the backend code (no SQL migrations needed).
• If seed data is required, contact me.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please follow these steps:

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a new branch for your feature or bugfix.
3. Commit your changes.
4. Push your branch and open a pull request.

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

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Developed by Umair Habib.