Neon Blogging Platform Starter Kit

A simple blogging platform that allows users to create, edit, and delete blog posts. The platform features user authentication, Markdown support for writing posts, a commenting system for user engagement, and tagging and categorization of posts.

Features

• User Authentication: Secure registration and login with JWT.
• Markdown Support: Write blog posts using Markdown.
• Commenting System: Engage users with comments on posts.
• Tagging and Categorization: Organize posts with tags.
• RESTful API: Easy integration with front-end applications.

Table of Contents

• Technologies Used
• Installation
• Usage
• API Endpoints
• Database Setup
• Running Tests
• Contributing
• License

Technologies Used

• Node.js: JavaScript runtime for building the server.
• Express: Web framework for Node.js.
• PostgreSQL: Relational database for data storage.
• bcrypt: Password hashing for user authentication.
• jsonwebtoken: Token-based authentication.
• marked: Markdown parser for rendering blog content.

Installation

1. Clone the Repository:

   git clone https://github.com/imabutahersiddik/Neon-Blogging-Platform-Starter-Kit.git
   cd Neon-Blogging-Platform-Starter-Kit

2. Install Dependencies:

   npm install

3. Set Up Environment Variables:

   Create a .env file in the root directory and add your database URL and JWT secret:

   DATABASE_URL=your_neon_database_url
   JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
   

4. Create Database Tables:

   Run the following SQL commands to set up the necessary tables in your PostgreSQL database:

   CREATE TABLE users (
       id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
       username VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
       email VARCHAR(100) UNIQUE NOT NULL,
       password VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL
   );
   
   CREATE TABLE posts (
       id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
       title VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
       content TEXT NOT NULL,
       author_id INT REFERENCES users(id),
       tags VARCHAR(255)
   );
   
   CREATE TABLE comments (
       id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
       post_id INT REFERENCES posts(id),
       content TEXT NOT NULL,
       author_id INT REFERENCES users(id)
   );
   
   CREATE TABLE tags (
       id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
       name VARCHAR(50) UNIQUE NOT NULL
   );
   
   CREATE TABLE post_tags (
       post_id INT REFERENCES posts(id),
       tag_id INT REFERENCES tags(id),
       PRIMARY KEY (post_id, tag_id)
   );

Usage

1. Start the Server:

   npm start

   The server will run on http://localhost:3000 by default.

2. API Testing:

   You can test the API using tools like Postman or Insomnia. Below are the available endpoints.

API Endpoints

Authentication

• POST /api/auth/register

  • Register a new user.
  • Request Body: { "username": "user", "email": "user@example.com", "password": "yourpassword" }

• POST /api/auth/login

  • Log in a user and receive a JWT token.
  • Request Body: { "email": "user@example.com", "password": "yourpassword" }

Blog Posts

• POST /api/posts

  • Create a new blog post (requires authentication).
  • Request Body: { "title": "Post Title", "content": "Post content in Markdown", "tags": ["tag1", "tag2"] }

• GET /api/posts

  • Retrieve all blog posts.

• PUT /api/posts/:id

  • Update an existing blog post (requires authentication).
  • Request Body: { "title": "Updated Title", "content": "Updated content", "tags": ["tag1", "tag2"] }

• DELETE /api/posts/:id

  • Delete a blog post (requires authentication).

Comments

• POST /api/comments

  • Add a comment to a post (requires authentication).
  • Request Body: { "postId": 1, "content": "This is a comment." }

• GET /api/comments/:postId

  • Retrieve comments for a specific post.

• DELETE /api/comments/:id

  • Delete a comment (requires authentication).

Database Setup

Make sure to create the necessary tables in your PostgreSQL database as outlined in the Database Setup section above.

Running Tests

Currently, there are no automated tests included in this project. You can manually test the API using Postman or Insomnia.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you have suggestions for improvements or new features, please fork the repository and submit a pull request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.