Somudai

Full-stack social app with:

• Backend: Node.js + Express + MongoDB + Socket.IO
• Frontend: React + Vite

1) Run locally

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• MongoDB connection string (Atlas or local)
• Cloudinary account (for image uploads)
• Google OAuth credentials (optional, for Google login)

Install dependencies

npm install
npm install --prefix frontend

Environment variables

Create backend/.env:

PORT=5000
CLIENT_URL=http://localhost:5173
MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
JWT_SECRET=your_random_secret
ADMIN_EMAIL=admin@example.com

CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloud_name
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your_api_key
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your_api_secret

GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your_google_client_id
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=your_google_client_secret

Create frontend/.env:

VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:5000/api/v1

Start app

Terminal 1:

node backend/index.js

Terminal 2:

npm run dev --prefix frontend

2) Production deployment (beginner-friendly)

A simple setup:

• Deploy backend on Render/Railway
• Deploy frontend on Vercel/Netlify
• Use MongoDB Atlas for database

Backend deploy checklist

1. Push repo to GitHub.
2. Create a new Web Service (Render/Railway) from repo.
3. Set start command:

   node backend/index.js

4. Add all backend/.env variables in the platform dashboard.
5. Set CLIENT_URL to your deployed frontend URL.
   • You can provide multiple allowed origins as comma-separated values (example: https://app.vercel.app,https://www.app.com).
6. After deployment, copy backend URL, e.g. https://your-api.onrender.com.

Frontend deploy checklist

1. Import repo to Vercel/Netlify.
2. Set frontend build command:

   npm run build --prefix frontend

3. Set publish directory:

   frontend/dist
   

4. Add env var:

   VITE_API_URL=https://your-api.onrender.com/api/v1

5. Redeploy frontend.

Google OAuth setup for production

In Google Cloud Console, set:

• Authorized JavaScript origins: your frontend URL
• Authorized redirect URI: https://your-api.onrender.com/api/v1/auth/google/callback

3) Useful scripts

• Build frontend: npm run build
• Start backend: npm start
• Lint frontend: npm run lint --prefix frontend

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If you want, next I can also generate a one-click deployment plan specifically for either Render + Vercel or Railway + Netlify.