ILMS Backend - Intelligent Library Management System

A robust, production-ready RESTful API backend for the Intelligent Library Management System (ILMS), built with Node.js, Express, and MongoDB. This system manages books, users, borrowing transactions, and provides AI-powered recommendations and dashboard analytics.

🚀 Features

• Authentication & Authorization

  • Secure JWT-based authentication
  • Role-based access control (Admin vs. Student)
  • Password hashing with bcrypt

• Book Management

  • Complete CRUD operations
  • Advanced search (Title, Author, ISBN)
  • Filtering by genre and sorting
  • Pagination support

• Transaction System

  • Borrow and return workflows
  • Automatic due date calculation
  • Availability tracking
  • Duplicate borrow prevention

• AI Recommendations

  • Personalized book suggestions based on borrowing history
  • Heuristic-based matching algorithm

• Dashboard Analytics

  • Real-time statistics for administrators
  • User and book metrics

• Security & Reliability

  • Helmet for secure HTTP headers
  • CORS configuration
  • Rate limiting ready
  • Global error handling
  • MongoDB connection retry logic

📋 Tech Stack

• Runtime: Node.js
• Framework: Express.js
• Database: MongoDB (Atlas or Local) with Mongoose ODM
• Authentication: JSON Web Tokens (JWT)
• Security: bcryptjs, helmet, cors
• Logging: Morgan (dev mode)

🛠️ Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18+)
• MongoDB (Local or Atlas connection string)

Steps

1. Clone the repository

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd ILMS-backend

2. Install dependencies

   npm install

3. Configure Environment Create a .env file in the root directory:

   PORT=8000
   MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
   JWT_SECRET=your_secure_secret_key
   JWT_EXPIRES_IN=7d
   FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:5173
   NODE_ENV=development

4. Seed the Database (Optional) Populate the database with initial admin/student users and sample books:

   npm run seed

   Creates:

   • Admin: admin@library.com / password123
   • Student: user@library.com / password123

5. Start the Server

   # Development (with auto-reload)
   npm run dev
   
   # Production
   npm start

📡 API Documentation

Authentication

Method	Endpoint	Description	Access
POST	/api/auth/register	Register a new user	Public
POST	/api/auth/login	Login and receive JWT	Public
GET	/api/auth/me	Get current user profile	Private

Books

Method	Endpoint	Description	Access
GET	/api/books	List books (pagination, search, filter)	Public
GET	/api/books/:id	Get book details	Public
POST	/api/books	Create a new book	Admin
PUT	/api/books/:id	Update a book	Admin
DELETE	/api/books/:id	Remove a book	Admin

Query Parameters: page, limit, search, genre, sortBy, order

Transactions (Borrowing)

Method	Endpoint	Description	Access
POST	/api/transactions/borrow	Borrow a book	Private
POST	/api/transactions/return/:id	Return a borrowed book	Private
GET	/api/transactions/my	Get user's history	Private
GET	/api/transactions	Get all transactions	Admin

Recommendations

Method	Endpoint	Description	Access
GET	/api/recommendations	Get personalized suggestions	Private

Statistics

Method	Endpoint	Description	Access
GET	/api/stats	Get system analytics	Admin

System

Method	Endpoint	Description	Access
GET	/api/health	Server health check	Public

📁 Project Structure

src/
├── config/         # Database configuration
├── controllers/    # Request handlers (logic)
├── middleware/     # Auth, error handling, validation
├── models/         # Mongoose schemas
├── routes/         # API route definitions
├── utils/          # Helpers and seeder script
└── app.js          # Express app setup

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the ISC License.