Note Taking App

A full-stack note-taking application built with Node.js, Express, PostgreSQL, and vanilla JavaScript. Features user authentication, CRUD operations for notes, and a modern responsive UI.

This app was generated by Cursor in Agent mode and using Auto for model choice, on August 25, 2025 using the following prompt

Please build me a note taking app in Node.js. Make it allow users to register and to login. Use PostgreSQL (with Docker)

Features

• User Authentication: Secure registration and login system with JWT tokens
• Note Management: Create, read, update, and delete notes
• Responsive Design: Modern UI that works on desktop and mobile devices
• Real-time Updates: Notes are updated in real-time across the interface
• Secure: Password hashing with bcrypt and JWT-based authentication
• Database: PostgreSQL database with proper relationships and constraints
• MCP Servers: Includes Playwright and GitMCP Express docs for easy agentic coding

Tech Stack

• Backend: Node.js, Express.js
• Database: PostgreSQL
• Authentication: JWT, bcrypt
• Frontend: Vanilla JavaScript, HTML5, CSS3
• Containerization: Docker & Docker Compose

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• Docker and Docker Compose
• Git

Installation & Setup

1. Clone the repository

git clone <your-repo-url>
cd note-taking-app-nodejs

2. Install dependencies

npm install

3. Start PostgreSQL with Docker

docker-compose up -d

This will start a PostgreSQL container with the following configuration:

• Database: note_taking_app
• Username: postgres
• Password: postgres
• Port: 5432

4. Start the application

# Development mode with auto-reload
npm run dev

# Production mode
npm start

The application will be available at http://localhost:3000

API Endpoints

Authentication

• POST /api/register - User registration
• POST /api/login - User login
• GET /api/profile - Get user profile (protected)

Notes (All protected endpoints)

• GET /api/notes - Get all notes for the authenticated user
• POST /api/notes - Create a new note
• GET /api/notes/:id - Get a specific note
• PUT /api/notes/:id - Update a note
• DELETE /api/notes/:id - Delete a note

Database Schema

Users Table

CREATE TABLE users (
  id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
  username VARCHAR(50) UNIQUE NOT NULL,
  email VARCHAR(100) UNIQUE NOT NULL,
  password_hash VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
  created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);

Notes Table

CREATE TABLE notes (
  id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
  user_id INTEGER REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
  title VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
  content TEXT,
  created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
  updated_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);

Usage

1. Register/Login: Create an account or log in with existing credentials
2. Create Notes: Use the form at the top to create new notes
3. View Notes: All your notes are displayed in a responsive grid layout
4. Edit Notes: Click on any note to open the edit modal
5. Delete Notes: Use the delete button in the edit modal to remove notes

Environment Variables

The application uses the following default configuration (hardcoded for simplicity):

• Database Host: localhost
• Database Port: 5432
• Database Name: note_taking_app
• Database User: postgres
• Database Password: postgres
• JWT Secret: your-super-secret-jwt-key-change-this-in-production
• Server Port: 3000

Note: In production, these values should be moved to environment variables.

Security Features

• Password Hashing: Passwords are hashed using bcrypt with salt rounds
• JWT Authentication: Secure token-based authentication
• Input Validation: Server-side validation for all inputs
• SQL Injection Protection: Parameterized queries using pg library
• CORS: Cross-origin resource sharing enabled for development

Development

Project Structure

note-taking-app-nodejs/
├── server.js              # Main server file
├── package.json           # Dependencies and scripts
├── docker-compose.yml     # PostgreSQL container setup
├── public/                # Frontend files
│   ├── index.html        # Main HTML file
│   ├── styles.css        # CSS styles
│   └── app.js            # Frontend JavaScript
└── README.md             # This file

Available Scripts

• npm start - Start the production server
• npm run dev - Start the development server with nodemon

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Database Connection Error

   • Ensure Docker is running
   • Check if PostgreSQL container is up: docker ps
   • Verify port 5432 is not in use by another service

2. Port Already in Use

   • Change the port in server.js or kill the process using port 3000

3. Dependencies Installation Issues

   • Clear npm cache: npm cache clean --force
   • Delete node_modules and package-lock.json, then run npm install

Docker Commands

# View running containers
docker ps

# View logs
docker-compose logs postgres

# Stop containers
docker-compose down

# Remove containers and volumes
docker-compose down -v

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly
5. Submit a pull request

MCP

You can scan for the security of MCP servers with mcp-scan

uvx mcp-scan .cursor/mcp.json

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Future Enhancements

• Rich text editor for notes
• Note categories and tags
• Search functionality
• File attachments
• Note sharing
• Dark mode theme
• Mobile app
• API rate limiting
• User roles and permissions