NightsWatch

This project is a full-stack web application using MongoDB, a Node.js/Express backend, and a React frontend, all containerized with Docker and orchestrated using Docker Compose.

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Demo

🧰 Technologies Used

• 🐳 Docker & Docker Compose
• 🌐 MongoDB 7.0
• 🧭 Mongo Express (web-based MongoDB GUI)
• 🔧 Express.js (Node.js backend)
• ⚛️ React (Frontend - Jon)

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🚀 Getting Started

🔧 Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following installed:

• Docker
• Docker Compose

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▶️ Run the App

From the root of the project:

docker-compose up --build

To run in the background:

docker-compose up --build -d

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🛑 Stop the App

To stop and remove containers:

docker-compose down

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🌐 Available Services

Service	URL	Description
Frontend	http://localhost:3001	React frontend app
Backend API	http://localhost:5059	Node.js/Express API
Mongo Express	http://localhost:8087	MongoDB admin GUI
MongoDB	localhost:27018	MongoDB database container

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📦 Docker Commands

# Build and start containers
docker-compose up --build

# Stop and remove containers
docker-compose down

# View logs for a specific service
docker-compose logs backend

# Access a running container's shell
docker exec -it backend_container sh

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📝 Environment Variables

Environment variables are currently defined in docker-compose.yml. You can refactor this by using .env files:

In docker-compose.yml:

env_file:
  - ./backend/.env

Then create .env inside backend/:

MONGO_URI=mongodb://mongodb:27017/mydb

Be sure to add .env to .gitignore to avoid committing secrets.

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✅ .gitignore Recommendation

Create a .gitignore file in both frontend/jon/ and backend/ directories:

node_modules/
.env
dist/
build/
npm-debug.log

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🧪 Testing the App

To test the backend:

curl http://localhost:5059

To test the frontend, visit:

http://localhost:3001

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🛣 Roadmap

• Build GitHub Action Plugin
• Build Python and Julia Clients

🙌 Credits

Built with ❤️ using Docker, Node.js, and React.