Documentation

Required Software & Downloads

Node.js (version 16+ recommended)

Download and install.

Required to run the backend (Node + Express) and install dependencies.

npm (bundled with Node) or yarn

Used to install libraries like express, cors, pg (for the backend) and React (for the frontend).

Git (optional, but recommended)

Helpful for cloning/pushing the project to GitHub.

SSH Tunnel Script (if off‐campus)

E.g., tunnel_scripta.bat on Windows, forwarding localhost:9999 to the remote DB server’s 5432.

(Optional) DBeaver

For managing/inspecting the database visually, if desired.

Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the backend/ folder (ensure it is in .gitignore). Required variables:

DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=9999
DB_NAME=db_202425z_va_prj_blisscoredb
DB_USER=***REDACTED***
DB_PASS=***REDACTED***
JWT_SECRET=***REDACTED***
CORS_ORIGIN=http://localhost:3000

RATE_LIMIT_WINDOW_MS=900000
RATE_LIMIT_MAX=50
PORT=5000
JWT_EXPIRES=3600

Steps to Install & Run

1) Backend (Node)

Open a terminal in the backend/ folder. Install dependencies:

npm install
npm install helmet express-rate-limit bcrypt jsonwebtoken dotenv

(Optional: npm i -D nodemon for auto-restart in development.)

Apply database enhancements (views, triggers, functions, indexes):

node scripts/applyEnhancements.js

Seed demo data:

node scripts/seedDemoData.js

Launch the backend server:

node index.js

The backend runs at ​http://localhost:5000 .

2) Frontend (React)

Open a terminal in the frontend/ folder. Install dependencies:

npm install

Start the dev server:

npm start

The frontend runs at ​http://localhost:3000 .

Useful Scripts

node scripts/applyEnhancements.js – applies views, triggers, functions, indexes from blisscore_enhancements.sql.

node scripts/seedDemoData.js – seeds the database with demo users/classes.

node scripts/runReports.js – generates JSON reports for top spenders, class utilization, training popularity.

node scripts/explainQueries.js – runs EXPLAIN/ANALYZE for query plans and indexes.

node scripts/runProof.js – tests transactions, triggers, and book_class() functionality.

Access the Application

Open browser at ​http://localhost:3000 to see the React app.

React communicates with the Node backend via endpoints like /api/register-student or /api/book-class.

The Node backend connects to the PostgreSQL database (locally or via SSH tunnel).