UOttaHack - Learning Platform

A React application with Express backend and MongoDB integration for user authentication.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js installed
• MongoDB running (either locally or connection string)

Install Dependencies

npm install

MongoDB Setup

Make sure MongoDB is running. The app will connect to:

• Default: mongodb://localhost:27017/uottahack
• Or set MONGODB_URI in .env file

Running the Application

You need to run both the frontend and backend servers:

Terminal 1 - Backend Server:

npm run server

This starts the Express server on http://localhost:3001

Terminal 2 - Frontend Development Server:

npm run dev

This starts the Vite dev server (typically http://localhost:5173)

Build for Production

npm run build

Preview Production Build

npm run preview

Application Flow

1. Homepage - Click "Get Started" button
2. Role Selection - Choose between "Educator" or "Student"
3. Authentication - Sign up or login with username and password
4. Dashboard - View user information after successful authentication

Project Structure

• src/ - Frontend React source files
  • components/ - React components (Homepage, RoleSelection, AuthForm, Dashboard)
  • main.jsx - Application entry point
  • App.jsx - Main App component with routing
• server/ - Backend Express server
  • index.js - Server entry point
  • models/User.js - MongoDB User model
  • routes/userRoutes.js - API routes for authentication
• public/ - Static assets
• index.html - HTML template
• vite.config.js - Vite configuration with API proxy

API Endpoints

• POST /api/users/signup - Create new user account
• POST /api/users/login - Authenticate existing user

User Data Stored in MongoDB

• username - Unique username
• password - Hashed password (bcrypt)
• role - Either "educator" or "student"
• createdAt - Timestamp of account creation