Chai Aur Backend

A comprehensive backend API for a video hosting platform similar to YouTube, built with Node.js, Express.js, MongoDB, and more. This project implements all essential features for a modern video platform, including user authentication, video uploads, likes, comments, subscriptions, and more.

Features

• User Authentication: Secure login/signup with JWT tokens (access and refresh tokens)
• Video Management: Upload, stream, and manage videos with Cloudinary integration
• User Interactions: Like/dislike videos, comments, replies, and subscriptions
• Dashboard: Analytics and user-specific data
• Rate Limiting: Protection against abuse with middleware
• File Uploads: Multer middleware for handling file uploads
• Health Checks: API health monitoring
• Docker Support: Containerized deployment for easy setup
• Comprehensive Testing: Integration and unit tests

Tech Stack

• Backend: Node.js, Express.js
• Database: MongoDB with Mongoose ODM
• Authentication: JWT (JSON Web Tokens), bcrypt for password hashing
• File Storage: Cloudinary for media uploads
• Middleware: Custom middlewares for auth, rate limiting, file uploads
• Testing: Mocha/Chai for API tests, database tests
• Containerization: Docker, Docker Compose
• Deployment: Render (production)

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• MongoDB (local or cloud instance)
• Docker (optional, for containerized setup)
• Cloudinary account for media storage

Installation

Local Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/videotube_backend.git
   cd videotube_backend

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Set up environment variables:

   • Copy sample.env to .env
   • Fill in the required values (see Environment Variables section below)

4. Start MongoDB (if running locally):

   mongod

5. Run the application:

   npm start

   For development with auto-restart:

   npm run dev

Docker Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/videotube_backend.git
   cd videotube_backend

2. Set up environment variables:

   • Create a .env file in the project root with the required variables (see below)

3. Run with Docker:

   docker run -it -p 3000:3000 --env-file .env coderdelta/videotube

   Or using Docker Compose (if available):

   docker-compose up

Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the root directory with the following variables:

PORT=3000
MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/videotube
CORS_ORIGIN=http://localhost:3000
ACCESS_TOKEN_SECRET=your_access_token_secret
ACCESS_TOKEN_EXPIRY=1d
REFRESH_TOKEN_SECRET=your_refresh_token_secret
REFRESH_TOKEN_EXPIRY=10d
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloud_name
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your_api_key
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your_api_secret

Usage

Once the server is running, you can access the API at http://localhost:3000 (or your configured port).

API Endpoints

The API provides endpoints for:

• User management (register, login, profile)
• Video operations (upload, list, stream)
• Comments and replies
• Likes and dislikes
• Subscriptions
• Dashboard analytics

For detailed API documentation, import the Postman collection:

• Postman Collection

Testing

Run the test suite:

npm test

This includes:

• API integration tests
• Database connection tests
• Unit tests for utilities

Project Structure

videotube_backend/
├── src/
│   ├── app.js                 # Express app setup
│   ├── index.js               # Server entry point
│   ├── constants.js           # Application constants
│   ├── controllers/           # Route controllers
│   ├── db/                    # Database connection
│   ├── middlewares/           # Custom middlewares
│   ├── models/                # Mongoose models
│   ├── routes/                # API routes
│   └── utils/                 # Utility functions
├── test/                      # Test files
├── public/temp/               # Temporary file storage
├── postman/                   # Postman collections
├── Dockerfile                 # Docker configuration
├── docker-compose.yml         # Docker Compose setup
├── package.json               # Dependencies and scripts
└── README.md                  # This file

Model Diagram

View the complete system architecture and database relationships:

• Model Diagram (Eraser)

Deployment

The application is deployed on Render:

• Production Backend

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a 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 MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Built following best practices for Node.js backend development
• Inspired by modern video platforms
• Uses industry-standard libraries and patterns