DevLink

A developer collaboration platform API built with TypeScript, Express, and MongoDB. DevLink enables developers to create projects, apply to join projects, send messages, and manage their professional profiles.

🚀 Features

• User Authentication - Register and login with JWT tokens
• Project Management - Create, list, and manage development projects
• Project Applications - Apply to projects and manage application status
• Messaging System - Direct messaging between developers
• User Profiles - Showcase skills, bio, and GitHub links
• Security - Password hashing, helmet headers, CORS, and request logging

🛠️ Technology Stack

• Runtime: Node.js
• Framework: Express.js 5.2.1
• Language: TypeScript 6.0.2
• Database: MongoDB with Mongoose 9.4.1
• Authentication: JWT (jsonwebtoken 9.0.3)
• Security: Bcryptjs, Helmet, CORS
• Development: ts-node-dev for hot-reloading
• Logging: Morgan for HTTP request logging

📁 Project Structure

src/
├── app.ts                 # Express app setup and routing
├── server.ts              # Server bootstrap and database connection
├── middleware/
│   ├── auth.middleware.ts # JWT authentication middleware
│   └── error.middleware.ts # Centralized error handling
├── modules/
│   ├── auth/              # Authentication module
│   │   ├── auth.controller.ts
│   │   ├── auth.service.ts
│   │   ├── auth.routes.ts
│   │   ├── auth.dto.ts
│   │   └── auth.types.ts
│   ├── users/             # User management module
│   │   ├── users.controller.ts
│   │   ├── users.service.ts
│   │   ├── users.routes.ts
│   │   ├── users.model.ts
│   │   ├── users.dto.ts
│   │   └── users.types.ts
│   ├── projects/          # Project management module
│   │   ├── projects.controller.ts
│   │   ├── projects.service.ts
│   │   ├── projects.routes.ts
│   │   ├── projects.model.ts
│   │   ├── projects.dto.ts
│   │   └── projects.types.ts
│   ├── applications/      # Project applications module
│   │   ├── applications.controller.ts
│   │   ├── applications.service.ts
│   │   ├── applications.routes.ts
│   │   ├── applications.model.ts
│   │   ├── applications.dto.ts
│   │   └── applications.types.ts
│   └── messages/          # Messaging module
│       ├── messages.controller.ts
│       ├── messages.service.ts
│       ├── messages.routes.ts
│       ├── messages.model.ts
│       ├── messages.dto.ts
│       └── messages.types.ts
├── config/                # Configuration files
└── structure.md           # Project structure documentation

🏗️ Architecture

DevLink follows a modular layered architecture where each feature is organized into its own module. Each module contains:

• Controller - Handles HTTP requests and responses
• Service - Contains business logic
• Routes - Defines API endpoints
• Model - Mongoose database schemas
• DTO - Data transfer objects for request/response validation
• Types - TypeScript interfaces and types

📡 API Endpoints

Authentication

• POST /api/auth/register - Create new user account
• POST /api/auth/login - Authenticate and get JWT token

Users

• GET /api/users - Get current user profile
• PATCH /api/users/:id - Update user profile

Projects

• POST /api/projects - Create a new project
• GET /api/projects - List all projects
• GET /api/projects/:id - Get single project details
• PATCH /api/projects/:id - Update project (owner only)
• DELETE /api/projects/:id - Delete project (owner only)

Applications

• POST /api/applications - Apply to a project
• GET /api/applications - Get applications for owned projects
• PATCH /api/applications/:id - Update application status (accept/reject)

Messages

• POST /api/messages - Send a message
• GET /api/messages - Get conversation messages

Health Check

• GET /api/health-check - API status check

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16 or higher)
• MongoDB (local or cloud instance)
• npm or yarn

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone <repository-url>
cd devlink

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Create a .env file in the root directory:

MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/devlink
PORT=3000
JWT_SECRET_KEY=your-super-secret-jwt-key

4. Start the development server:

npm run dev

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

📜 Available Scripts

• npm run dev - Start development server with hot-reload
• npm run build - Compile TypeScript to JavaScript
• npm start - Run the compiled application

🔒 Authentication

All endpoints except authentication routes require a JWT token. Include the token in the Authorization header:

Authorization: Bearer <your-jwt-token>

Tokens expire after 3 days.

🗄️ Data Models

User

{
  username: string;
  email: string;
  password: string; // hashed
  bio?: string;
  skills?: string[];
  githubLink?: string;
  createdAt: Date;
  updatedAt: Date;
}

Project

{
  title: string;
  description: string;
  techStack: string[];
  owner: ObjectId; // User reference
  createdAt: Date;
  updatedAt: Date;
}

Application

{
  applicant: ObjectId; // User reference
  project: ObjectId; // Project reference
  status: "pending" | "accepted" | "rejected";
  createdAt: Date;
  updatedAt: Date;
}

Message

{
  sender: ObjectId; // User reference
  recipient: ObjectId; // User reference
  content: string;
  createdAt: Date;
}

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests if applicable
5. Submit a pull request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.