Fix backend server startup issue - ensure npm scripts work correctly

[Copilot]

Problem

Users were encountering the error "Backend server is not running. File uploads will fail until the backend is started" when trying to use the application, despite the npm scripts being properly defined in package.json.

Root Cause

The npm scripts for starting the backend were already correctly implemented:

• npm run dev:backend - Start backend only
• npm run dev:fullstack - Start both frontend & backend

However, the issue was that dependencies needed to be installed first before these scripts could function properly. The repository includes both root and backend package.json files with their respective dependencies.

Solution

No code changes were required. The solution involved:

1. Installing root dependencies: npm install in the project root
2. Installing backend dependencies: npm install in the backend/ directory
3. Verifying script functionality: Both npm scripts now work correctly

Verification

After installing dependencies:

• ✅ npm run dev:backend successfully starts the backend server on port 3001
• ✅ npm run dev:fullstack successfully starts both frontend (port 8080) and backend (port 3001)
• ✅ Backend health endpoint (/api/health) responds correctly
• ✅ Frontend BackendStatus component updates to show "Backend server is online"

Screenshot

The frontend now correctly detects the running backend and displays the success status:

For Future Users

To run the application:

1. Install dependencies: npm install && cd backend && npm install && cd ..
2. Start backend only: npm run dev:backend
3. Start full application: npm run dev:fullstack

The npm scripts were already properly configured - users just need to ensure dependencies are installed first.

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Project	Deployment	Preview	Comments	Updated (UTC)
ngs-seq-qc	Ready	Preview	Comment	Sep 9, 2025 3:28am