meetme-bot-workspace/setup_local_backend.md

Local Backend Setup Guide

Prerequisites

• Node.js 16+ installed
• MongoDB installed and running
• Git for cloning repository

Step 1: Clone and Setup Backend

# Clone the MeetMe backend repository
git clone https://github.com/Andyss4545/meetme-backend-api.git
cd meetme-backend-api

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Create environment file
cp .env.example .env

Step 2: Configure Environment

Create .env file with local configuration:

# Server Configuration
PORT=3000
NODE_ENV=development

# MongoDB Configuration
MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/meetme_dev

# JWT Configuration
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_key_here
JWT_EXPIRES_IN=7d

# API Configuration
API_BASE_URL=http://localhost:3000/api/v1
CORS_ORIGIN=http://localhost:3000

# Bot Configuration
BOT_RATE_LIMIT=100
BOT_TIMEOUT=30000

Step 3: Database Setup

# Start MongoDB (if not running)
mongod

# Create database and collections
mongo meetme_dev

Step 4: Start Backend Server

# Development mode with auto-reload
npm run dev

# Or production mode
npm start

Step 5: Verify API Endpoints

Test the API endpoints:

# Health check
curl http://localhost:3000/api/v1/health

# Get users
curl http://localhost:3000/api/v1/users

# Create test user
curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/users \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "username": "testuser",
    "email": "test@example.com",
    "password": "password123"
  }'

Step 6: Bot Integration Testing

Update Python bot configuration to use local API:

# In your .env file for Python bots
API_BASE_URL=http://localhost:3000/api/v1
API_USERNAME=your_test_user
API_PASSWORD=your_test_password

Troubleshooting

Common Issues:

1. MongoDB Connection: Ensure MongoDB is running on port 27017
2. Port Conflicts: Change PORT in .env if 3000 is occupied
3. CORS Issues: Update CORS_ORIGIN in .env for your frontend
4. JWT Errors: Generate a strong JWT_SECRET

Debug Commands:

# Check MongoDB status
mongo --eval "db.adminCommand('ping')"

# Check Node.js server logs
npm run dev

# Test API endpoints
curl -v http://localhost:3000/api/v1/health