Stills Backend

A private, curated collection of moments and thoughts visible only to people you allow. Secure APIs for STIlLS Built using Node.js, Express.js, and MySQL. The project implements authentication, user profiles, posts, and relationship management (follow, block, remove connection).

This backend focuses on clean architecture, modular routing, and secure authentication using JWT tokens.

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Tech Stack:

• Node.js
• Express.js
• MySQL

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Features

Authentication

• User registration
• User login
• Secure password hashing
• JWT access token generation
• Refresh token support
• follow your friends

User Profiles

• Read profile data
• Update profile information

Posts

• Create posts
• Read posts
• Update posts
• Delete posts

User Relationships

Users can interact with other users through relationship APIs:

• Follow a user
• Block a user
• Remove connection

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Project Structure

reet
├── public
│   ├── images
│   ├── javascripts
│   └── stylesheets
│       └── style.css
│
├── routes
│   ├── auth
│   │   ├── login.js
│   │   ├── refreshtoken.js
│   │   └── register.js
│   │
│   ├── index.js
│   ├── rels.js
│   ├── users.js
│   └── users_posts.js
│
├── services
│   ├── auth.services.js
│   └── user.services.js
│
├── utils
│   ├── hashToken.js
│   └── jwt.js
│
├── views
│   ├── error.jade
│   ├── index.jade
│   └── layout.jade
│
├── .env
├── .gitignore
├── app.js
├── db.js
├── middleware.js
├── package.json
├── package-lock.json
├── sql.sql
└── readme.md

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Architecture Overview

The project follows a layered backend architecture:

Routes Layer

Handles HTTP requests and maps them to appropriate service functions.

Services Layer

Contains core business logic and database queries.

Utils Layer

Helper utilities for:

• JWT generation and verification
• Refresh token hashing

Middleware

Centralized middleware for:

• Authentication verification
• Error handling
• Request validation

Database

MySQL database storing:

• users
• posts
• relationships
• posts

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Database Setup

1. Create a MySQL database.

2. Import schema:

mysql -u username -p database_name < sql.sql

3. Configure environment variables.

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Environment Variables

Create a .env file:

PORT=3000

DB_HOST=localhost
DB_USER=root
DB_PASSWORD=yourpassword
DB_NAME=social_media

JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
REFRESH_SECRET=your_refresh_secret

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Installation

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/naina35/reet.git
cd reet

Install dependencies:

npm install

Run the server:

npm start

For development:

npm run dev

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Security Features

• Password hashing using bcrypt
• JWT authentication
• Refresh token rotation
• Token hashing before storing
• Environment variable protection

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Future Improvements

• Notifications system - DECIDED AGAINST IT because i am designing this app to be anti addiction, calm platform
• Maybe chat feature? Not sure if it matches the vibe?
• Password reset functionality
• add email to user schema. Allow user to add email
• Feed API (timeline generation) - DONE
• Pagination for posts - DONE
• Input validation middleware - DONE IN FRONTEND
• Image upload support - DONE

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