BITSmegle

A real-time video chat platform that connects BITS Pilani students randomly for conversations, built with SvelteKit, Express.js and WebRTC.

Quick Setup Guide

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• MongoDB — either Atlas, or the local Docker instance described below
• Docker with the Compose plugin (only for the local database)
• Git

Project Structure

BITSmegle/
├── src/                 # Frontend (SvelteKit)
├── server/             # Backend (Express.js + Socket.IO)
├── scripts/            # Database setup and smoke-test scripts
└── README.md

Local Database Setup (MongoDB)

docker-compose.dev.yml runs a MongoDB 7 instance for development, separate from the production stack in docker-compose.yml. From the repo root:

npm run db:up      # start MongoDB and wait until it is healthy
npm run db:seed    # create indexes and insert sample users
npm run db:test    # verify every database operation the app performs

Then point both .env files at it:

DB_URI=mongodb://127.0.0.1:27017/bitsmegle

The database name in that URI is not optional. Both halves of the app read it from DB_URI — src/db/mongo.ts calls client.db() with no argument, and server/src/config/mongo.ts resolves the same name — so changing the URI is all it takes to move to a different database.

Command	What it does
npm run db:up	Start MongoDB on 127.0.0.1:27017
npm run db:down	Stop it, keeping data in the mongo-data volume
npm run db:reset	Delete the volume and start over with a fresh seeded database
npm run db:setup	Create the indexes only (no sample data)
npm run db:seed	Create the indexes and insert sample users
npm run db:test	Run the end-to-end database smoke test
npm run db:shell	Open mongosh inside the container
npm run db:logs	Tail the MongoDB logs

Data lives in the mongo-data Docker volume and survives db:down and restarts; npm run db:reset is the only command that discards it.

The instance runs without authentication and is bound to loopback, so it is reachable only from this machine. Set MONGO_PORT if 27017 is already taken.

For a browser UI over the data, start the optional mongo-express profile and open http://localhost:8081:

docker compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml --profile ui up -d

Running several worktrees

git worktree lets you keep more than one branch checked out at once. The MongoDB container is shared between them — docker-compose.dev.yml sets a fixed project name, so every worktree talks to the same instance rather than quietly creating its own volume. What each worktree does need is its own database name and its own ports, both of which live in .env and are never committed.

Pick an offset of 10 per extra worktree:

Variable	File	Main checkout	Second worktree
DB_URI (database name)	both	bitsmegle	bitsmegle_feat
FRONTEND_PORT	.env	5173	5183
REDIRECT_URI	.env	:5173	:5183
PORT	server/.env	3000	3010
PUBLIC_BACKEND_URI / _WS_URI	.env	:3000	:3010

So a second worktree's root .env would carry:

DB_URI=mongodb://127.0.0.1:27017/bitsmegle_feat
FRONTEND_PORT=5183
REDIRECT_URI=http://localhost:5183
PUBLIC_BACKEND_URI=http://localhost:3010
PUBLIC_BACKEND_WS_URI=ws://localhost:3010

and its server/.env the matching PORT=3010 and the same DB_URI.

Then set up that worktree's database — db:seed reads DB_URI, so it creates and seeds whichever database the URI names:

npm install && (cd server && npm install)   # not shared between worktrees
npm run db:seed
npm run db:test                             # reports which database it used

Note that npm run db:reset destroys the shared volume, which wipes every worktree's database, not just the current one. To reset only your own, drop it with npm run db:shell and db.dropDatabase(), then re-run npm run db:seed.

Google OAuth needs each REDIRECT_URI registered as an authorised redirect URI in the Google Cloud console, so a second worktree only needs a distinct port here if you are exercising the login flow.

Frontend Setup (SvelteKit)

1. Install Dependencies

npm install

2. Environment Configuration

Create .env file in root directory after copying .env.example

3. Start Development Server

npm run dev

The frontend will be available at http://localhost:5173

Backend Setup (Express.js)

1. Navigate to Server Directory

cd server

2. Install Dependencies

npm install

3. Environment Configuration

Create .env file in server directory following the .env.example

4. Start Development Server

npm run dev

The backend will be available at http://localhost:3000

📝 API Endpoints

Authentication

• POST /api/oauth - Google OAuth login
• POST /api/users - Verify user session

User Management

• GET /api/users/:id - Get user profile
• POST /api/rep - Update user reputation

Statistics

• GET /stats - Server health check

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create feature branch: git checkout -b feature-name
3. Commit changes: git commit -m 'Add feature'
4. Push to branch: git push origin feature-name
5. Submit pull request