🌱 Solidify Backend - SME Carbon Management Platform

A comprehensive Node.js/Express/MongoDB backend for helping Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana achieve Net Zero Carbon Emissions.

📋 Table of Contents

• Features
• Tech Stack
• Project Structure
• Getting Started
• Environment Variables
• API Documentation
• Database Models
• Deployment

✨ Features

Core Features

• 🔐 Authentication & Authorization - JWT-based auth with role-based access control
• 💬 Real-time Chat - Socket.io powered messaging between SMEs
• 📚 Knowledge Base - Educational resources on sustainability
• 📰 News Section - Latest updates on carbon emissions and Net Zero
• 📊 Carbon Footprint Tracker - 3-level sustainability system with tracking

Additional Features

• 🏢 Organization Management - Multi-tenant SME profiles
• 🎯 Sustainability Roadmap - 6-milestone progress tracking
• 🎯 Goal Setting - Set and track carbon reduction goals
• 📤 File Uploads - Cloudinary integration for images and documents
• 📧 Email Notifications - Gmail SMTP for transactional emails
• 📖 API Documentation - Swagger/OpenAPI docs

🛠 Tech Stack

• Runtime: Node.js with TypeScript
• Framework: Express.js
• Database: MongoDB (Atlas - FREE tier)
• ODM: Mongoose
• Real-time: Socket.io
• Authentication: JWT (jsonwebtoken)
• File Storage: Cloudinary (FREE tier)
• Email: Nodemailer + Gmail SMTP (FREE)
• Validation: Joi + express-validator
• Security: Helmet, bcryptjs, express-mongo-sanitize
• Logging: Winston
• API Docs: Swagger

📁 Project Structure

shopify-be/
├── src/
│   ├── config/           # Configuration files
│   │   ├── database.ts
│   │   ├── environment.ts
│   │   └── cloudinary.ts
│   ├── models/           # Mongoose models
│   │   ├── User.ts
│   │   ├── Organization.ts
│   │   ├── Conversation.ts
│   │   ├── Message.ts
│   │   ├── KnowledgeArticle.ts
│   │   ├── NewsArticle.ts
│   │   ├── CarbonEntry.ts
│   │   ├── EmissionFactor.ts
│   │   ├── SustainabilityRoadmap.ts
│   │   └── SustainabilityGoal.ts
│   ├── controllers/      # Route controllers
│   ├── routes/           # API routes
│   ├── middleware/       # Custom middleware
│   ├── services/         # Business logic
│   ├── validators/       # Input validation
│   ├── utils/            # Utility functions
│   ├── sockets/          # Socket.io handlers
│   ├── types/            # TypeScript types
│   ├── swagger/          # API documentation
│   ├── app.ts            # Express app setup
│   └── server.ts         # Entry point
├── tests/                # Test files
├── logs/                 # Log files
├── .env.example          # Environment template
├── .gitignore
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
├── nodemon.json
└── README.md

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ and npm
• MongoDB Atlas account (FREE)
• Cloudinary account (FREE)
• Gmail account with App Password

Installation

1. Clone the repository

git clone <your-repo-url>
cd shopify-be

2. Install dependencies

npm install

3. Setup environment variables

cp .env.example .env

Then edit .env with your credentials:

• MongoDB Atlas connection string
• JWT secrets (generate random strings)
• Cloudinary credentials
• Gmail SMTP credentials

4. Build TypeScript

npm run build

5. Run in development

npm run dev

6. Run in production

npm start

🔑 Environment Variables

See .env.example for all required variables:

Required Services Setup

1. MongoDB Atlas (FREE)

1. Go to https://www.mongodb.com/cloud/atlas/register
2. Create FREE cluster (M0 tier)
3. Create database user
4. Whitelist IP: 0.0.0.0/0
5. Get connection string

2. Cloudinary (FREE)

1. Go to https://cloudinary.com/users/register/free
2. Get Cloud Name, API Key, API Secret from dashboard

3. Gmail SMTP (FREE)

1. Enable 2-Step Verification on Google Account
2. Go to https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords
3. Generate App Password for "Mail"
4. Use 16-digit password in .env

📚 API Documentation

Once running, visit:

• Swagger UI: http://localhost:5000/api-docs
• API Base: http://localhost:5000/api/v1

Main Endpoints

Authentication

• POST /api/v1/auth/register - Register new user
• POST /api/v1/auth/login - Login
• POST /api/v1/auth/logout - Logout
• POST /api/v1/auth/refresh - Refresh token
• PUT /api/v1/auth/change-password - Change password

Chat

• GET /api/v1/chat/conversations - List conversations
• POST /api/v1/chat/conversations - Create conversation
• GET /api/v1/chat/conversations/:id/messages - Get messages
• POST /api/v1/chat/messages - Send message
• WebSocket: /socket.io - Real-time chat

Knowledge Base

• GET /api/v1/knowledge/articles - List articles
• GET /api/v1/knowledge/articles/:slug - Get article
• POST /api/v1/knowledge/articles - Create article (admin)
• GET /api/v1/knowledge/search?q=...&level=... - Search

News

• GET /api/v1/news - List news
• GET /api/v1/news/:slug - Get news article
• POST /api/v1/news - Create news (admin)

Carbon Tracking

• POST /api/v1/carbon/calculate - Calculate emissions
• POST /api/v1/carbon/entries - Create entry
• GET /api/v1/carbon/entries?level=... - List entries
• GET /api/v1/carbon/dashboard - Dashboard stats
• GET /api/v1/carbon/roadmap - Get roadmap

🗄 Database Models

Core Models

• User - User accounts with roles
• Organization - SME company profiles
• Conversation - Chat rooms
• Message - Chat messages

Content Models

• KnowledgeArticle - Educational content
• NewsArticle - News posts

Carbon Models

• CarbonEntry - Emission records
• EmissionFactor - Calculation factors (Ghana-specific)
• SustainabilityRoadmap - Progress tracking
• SustainabilityGoal - Reduction targets

🌱 Sustainability Levels

The system uses a 3-level progression:

Level 1: Foundation & Measurement

• Basic carbon footprint tracking
• Initial data collection
• Understanding emissions sources

Level 2: Efficiency & Integration

• Implementing efficiency measures
• Renewable energy integration
• Advanced tracking

Level 3: Transformation & Net Zero Leadership

• Complete transformation
• Carbon offsetting
• Net-zero achievement

🚢 Deployment

Deploy to Render.com (FREE)

1. Push to GitHub

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git remote add origin <your-repo>
git push -u origin main

2. Create Render Web Service

• Go to https://render.com
• Connect GitHub repository
• Set build command: npm run build
• Set start command: npm start
• Add environment variables from .env

3. Deploy!

• Auto-deploys on every push

Production URL

https://solidify-api.onrender.com

📝 Scripts

npm run dev       # Development with nodemon
npm run build     # Build TypeScript
npm start         # Production server
npm test          # Run tests
npm run lint      # Lint code
npm run lint:fix  # Fix linting issues

🔒 Security Features

• JWT authentication with refresh tokens
• Password hashing with bcrypt
• Helmet for security headers
• Rate limiting
• MongoDB injection prevention
• XSS protection
• CORS configuration
• Input validation

👥 User Roles

• Admin - Full access, manage all content
• Manager - Organization management, create content
• User - View content, use chat, track emissions

📧 Contact

Author: Jehiel Britstot Houmanou Email: jehielbh@gmail.com Institution: Advanced School of Systems and Data Studies (ASSDAS) Supervisor: Mr Eugene Akoto

📄 License

MIT License - See LICENSE file

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA)
• KNUST Net-Zero Carbon Emission Lab
• SME Climate Hub
• All participating Ghanaian SMEs

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Built for the fight towards Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050 🌍