INSTiWISE Backend - Technical Documentation

The InstiWise Backend is a robust Node.js-based backend designed to support academic management, project sharing, student networking, and institute-wide announcements. It provides secure APIs for user authentication, course and lesson scheduling, project documentation, and centralized communication.

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Project Structure
• Architecture
• Technologies
• Setup Instructions
• API Endpoints
• Authentication
• Testing
• Deployment
• Error Handling
• Security
• Future Improvements
• Support

Overview

The InstiWise backend powers the Smart Institute Concept, enabling:

• Academic management (courses, lessons, room schedules).
• Student project sharing and collaboration.
• News & announcements from student organizations and administration.
• Student networking & connectivity across the institute.

It uses Express.js for routing, MongoDB (via Mongoose) for data storage, and JWT for authentication.

Project Structure

instiwise_backend/
├── models/
│   ├── course.model.js       # Course schema
│   ├── lesson.model.js       # Lesson schema
│   ├── post.model.js         # News/announcements schema
│   ├── projects.model.js     # Projects schema
│   ├── room.model.js         # Rooms schema
│   └── user.model.js         # User schema
│
├── routes/
│   ├── Auth.js               # Authentication routes
│   ├── Courses.js            # Course routes
│   ├── Lessons.js            # Lesson routes
│   ├── Posts.js              # Posts routes
│   ├── Projects.js           # Projects routes
│   ├── Rooms.js              # Rooms routes
│   ├── User.js               # User routes
│   └── verifyToken.js        # JWT verification middleware
│
├── env                       # Environment config file
├── controller.js             # Central controller logic
├── index.js                  # Main entry point
├── package.json              # Dependencies & scripts
└── package-lock.json

Architecture

Components

• Express.js Server: Handles all API requests and routes.
• MongoDB + Mongoose: Database for storing users, courses, lessons, projects, posts, and rooms.
• JWT Authentication: Ensures secure access for users and admins.
• CryptoJS: Encrypts passwords for safe storage.
• Middleware: Protects routes using verifyToken.js.

Technologies

• Node.js: v18.x
• Express.js: v4.x
• MongoDB: Latest (Atlas or local)
• Mongoose: v6.x for schema modeling
• JWT: For secure authentication
• CryptoJS: For password encryption
• Moment.js: For time/date management

Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

• Node.js: v18.x (run node -v to verify)
• MongoDB: Atlas account or local installation
• Postman: For testing APIs
• Git: For cloning the repository

Installation

1. Clone Repository

   git clone https://github.com/mixro/instiwise_backend.git
   cd instiwise_backend

2. Install Dependencies

   npm install

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

   MONGO_URL=your_mongodb_connection_string
   PASS_SEC=your_crypto_secret
   JWT_SEC=your_jwt_secret
   PORT=8800

4. Run the Server

   npm start

   For development with auto-restart:

   npm run dev

   Backend runs at: 👉 http://localhost:8800/api/

API Endpoints

• Authentication

  • POST /api/auth/register → Register new user
  • POST /api/auth/login → Login
  • POST /api/auth/google-login → Google login
  • POST /api/auth/google-register → Google register

• Users

  • GET /api/users/:id → Get user details
  • PUT /api/users/:id → Update user profile
  • DELETE /api/users/:id → Delete user

• Courses & Lessons

  • POST /api/courses/ → Create new course
  • POST /api/lessons/ → Create new lesson
  • GET /api/lessons/ongoing → Get ongoing lessons
  • GET /api/lessons/upcoming → Get upcoming lessons

• Rooms

  • POST /api/rooms/ → Create room
  • GET /api/rooms/ → Get all rooms
  • GET /api/lessons/room/:id → Get lessons in a room

• Projects

  • POST /api/projects/ → Create new project
  • GET /api/projects/ → Get all projects

• Posts

  • POST /api/posts/ → Create news/announcement
  • GET /api/posts/ → Get all posts

Authentication

• JWT: Required for accessing most routes.
• verifyToken.js middleware: Protects restricted APIs.
• Roles: Admins can create/update/delete lessons, courses, rooms, and posts.

Testing

• Use Postman to test routes.
• Run backend locally with MongoDB connection.
• Future improvements include Jest test coverage.

Deployment

• Deploy on Heroku, Render, or AWS EC2.
• Use MongoDB Atlas for database hosting.
• Add CI/CD pipelines for continuous deployment.

Error Handling

• Standardized error responses (400, 401, 403, 500).
• Middleware catches and logs errors.

Security

• Passwords encrypted with CryptoJS.
• JWT-based authentication.
• Role-based access for admin routes.
• MongoDB validation to prevent injections.

Future Improvements

• Notifications for new announcements.
• Real-time chat for student networking.
• Analytics dashboard for administrators.
• Improved project sharing (files, videos).

Support

For inquiries or support:
📧 Email: josephchongola43@gmail.com
🌐 Website: INSTiWISE Platform