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Freelancers Backend API

Backend server for the College Freelancers Portfolio Platform, built with Node.js, Express, and TypeScript. Uses Google Sheets as the database and Google Drive for file storage.

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

  • Node.js (v18 or higher)
  • A Google Cloud project with Sheets and Drive APIs enabled
  • Service account credentials JSON file

Installation

  1. Install dependencies:

    npm install

  2. Set up Google Cloud (see detailed instructions below)

  3. Configure environment variables:

    cp .env.example .env

    Edit .env and fill in your configuration.

  4. Add service account credentials:

    • Download your service account key JSON from Google Cloud Console
    • Open the JSON file and copy its entire content
    • In your .env file, paste the JSON as a single line in GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY
    • Example: GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY={"type":"service_account","project_id":"...","private_key":"..."}

  5. Run the development server:

    npm run dev

The server will start on http://localhost:5000

🔧 Google Cloud Setup

Step 1: Create a Google Cloud Project

  1. Go to Google Cloud Console
  2. Click "Select a project" → "New Project"
  3. Name it (e.g., "Freelancers Platform") and click "Create"

Step 2: Enable APIs

  1. In the Cloud Console, go to "APIs & Services" → "Library"
  2. Search for and enable:
    • Google Sheets API
    • Google Drive API

Step 3: Create Service Account

  1. Go to "APIs & Services" → "Credentials"
  2. Click "Create Credentials" → "Service Account"
  3. Fill in the details:
    • Name: freelancers-backend
    • Description: "Backend service for freelancers platform"
  4. Click "Create and Continue"
  5. Skip the optional steps and click "Done"

Step 4: Generate Service Account Key

  1. Click on the service account you just created
  2. Go to the "Keys" tab
  3. Click "Add Key" → "Create new key"
  4. Choose "JSON" format
  5. Download the file and save it as service-account-key.json in the Backend directory

Step 5: Create Google Sheet

  1. Create a new Google Sheet
  2. Copy the Sheet ID from the URL: 
    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/SHEET_ID_HERE/edit
  3. Share the sheet with your service account email:
    • Click "Share" in the top right
    • Paste the service account email (found in the JSON file as client_email)
    • Give it "Editor" permissions

Step 6: Create Google Drive Folder

  1. Create a new folder in Google Drive for file uploads
  2. Copy the folder ID from the URL: 
    https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/FOLDER_ID_HERE
  3. Share the folder with your service account email (Editor permissions)

Step 7: Update Environment Variables

Edit your .env file:

GOOGLE_SHEETS_ID=your-sheet-id-from-step-5
GOOGLE_DRIVE_FOLDER_ID=your-folder-id-from-step-6

📁 Project Structure

Backend/
├── src/
│   ├── config/
│   │   └── google.ts          # Google API configuration
│   ├── controllers/
│   │   ├── auth.controller.ts # Authentication logic
│   │   ├── user.controller.ts # User management
│   │   ├── admin.controller.ts # Admin operations
│   │   └── upload.controller.ts # File uploads
│   ├── middleware/
│   │   └── auth.middleware.ts # JWT authentication
│   ├── routes/
│   │   ├── auth.routes.ts     # Auth endpoints
│   │   ├── user.routes.ts     # User endpoints
│   │   ├── admin.routes.ts    # Admin endpoints
│   │   └── upload.routes.ts   # Upload endpoints
│   ├── services/
│   │   ├── sheets.service.ts  # Google Sheets CRUD
│   │   └── drive.service.ts   # Google Drive operations
│   ├── utils/
│   │   ├── jwt.ts             # JWT utilities
│   │   └── password.ts        # Password hashing
│   └── server.ts              # Express server
├── .env.example               # Environment template
├── .gitignore
├── package.json
└── tsconfig.json

🔌 API Endpoints

Authentication

  • POST /api/auth/signup - Register new user
  • POST /api/auth/login - Login user
  • POST /api/auth/logout - Logout user
  • GET /api/auth/me - Get current user (requires auth)

Users

  • GET /api/users - Get all approved users
  • GET /api/users/:id - Get user by ID
  • PUT /api/users/:id - Update user profile (requires auth)
  • POST /api/users/:id/complete-onboarding - Complete onboarding (requires auth)

Admin

  • GET /api/admin/pending-users - Get pending applications (requires admin)
  • POST /api/admin/approve/:id - Approve user (requires admin)
  • POST /api/admin/reject/:id - Reject user (requires admin)

Upload

  • POST /api/upload/profile-image - Upload profile image (requires auth)
  • POST /api/upload/banner-image - Upload banner image (requires auth)
  • POST /api/upload/project-image - Upload project image (requires auth)

📊 Google Sheets Schema

Users Sheet

Column Type Description
id string Unique user ID (UUID)
name string User's full name
email string User's email
password_hash string Bcrypt hashed password
role string 'user' or 'admin'
status string 'incomplete', 'pending', 'approved', 'rejected'
tagline string Professional tagline
bio string User biography
tech_stack string Comma-separated tech skills
profile_image_url string Google Drive URL
banner_image_url string Google Drive URL
availability string 'Available', 'Busy', 'Open'
rate string Hourly rate
experience string Years of experience
github string GitHub URL
linkedin string LinkedIn URL
portfolio string Portfolio URL
created_at string ISO timestamp
updated_at string ISO timestamp

Projects Sheet

Column Type Description
id string Unique project ID (UUID)
user_id string Owner's user ID
title string Project title
link string Project URL
description string Project description
image_url string Google Drive URL
created_at string ISO timestamp

🔐 Authentication

The API uses JWT (JSON Web Tokens) for authentication:

  1. User signs up or logs in
  2. Server returns a JWT token
  3. Client stores token (localStorage)
  4. Client sends token in Authorization: Bearer <token> header
  5. Server verifies token for protected routes

🛠️ Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run development server with auto-reload
npm run dev

# Build for production
npm run build

# Run production server
npm start

🔒 Security Notes

  • Never commit service-account-key.json or .env files
  • Use strong JWT secrets in production
  • Implement rate limiting for production
  • Use HTTPS in production
  • Validate and sanitize all user inputs

🐛 Troubleshooting

"Google Sheets not configured" error

  • Ensure service-account-key.json exists in the Backend directory
  • Check that GOOGLE_SHEETS_ID is set in .env
  • Verify the sheet is shared with the service account email

"Permission denied" errors

  • Make sure the Google Sheet is shared with the service account email
  • Check that the service account has "Editor" permissions
  • Verify the APIs are enabled in Google Cloud Console

File upload fails

  • Ensure GOOGLE_DRIVE_FOLDER_ID is set in .env
  • Verify the Drive folder is shared with the service account
  • Check file size limits (default: 5MB)

📝 License

MIT