DevCollab — Enterprise Collaboration Platform

A modern developer collaboration platform combining task management and real-time communication, built with ASP.NET Core and Next.js.

🎯 Project Overview

DevCollab is a full-stack enterprise application demonstrating:

• Enterprise Backend Development with ASP.NET Core
• Real-time Communication using SignalR
• Authentication & Authorization with JWT
• Scalable Architecture with clean separation of concerns
• Modern Frontend with Next.js and TypeScript

🏗️ Architecture

Next.js Frontend (Port 3000)
         ↓
ASP.NET Core Web API (Port 5000)
         ↓
   Service Layer
         ↓
Entity Framework Core
         ↓
   PostgreSQL Database

Real-time: Frontend ↔ SignalR ↔ ASP.NET Core

🚀 Tech Stack

Backend

• ASP.NET Core 10 - Web API framework
• Entity Framework Core 10 - ORM
• PostgreSQL - Database
• JWT Authentication - Secure authentication
• BCrypt.Net - Password hashing
• AutoMapper - Object mapping
• FluentValidation - Input validation
• SignalR - Real-time communication (coming soon)

Frontend (Coming Soon)

• Next.js 15 - React framework
• TypeScript - Type safety
• Tailwind CSS - Styling
• Axios - HTTP client
• Zustand - State management
• SignalR Client - Real-time updates

📋 Features

Phase 1: Authentication ✅

• User registration
• User login
• JWT token generation
• Password hashing with BCrypt
• Role-based authorization setup

Phase 2: Database & Models ✅

• User model
• Workspace model
• Task model
• Message model
• Notification model
• WorkspaceMember model
• Entity relationships configured

Phase 3: CRUD APIs (In Progress)

• Workspace management
• Task management
• Member management
• Activity tracking

Phase 4: Real-Time Features (Planned)

• SignalR hub setup
• Real-time chat
• Live notifications
• Typing indicators
• Task updates broadcast

Phase 5: Frontend (Planned)

• Next.js setup
• Authentication pages
• Dashboard
• Workspace views
• Task board
• Chat interface

Phase 6: Deployment (Planned)

• Docker containerization
• Backend deployment (Railway/Render)
• Frontend deployment (Vercel)
• Database hosting

🛠️ Getting Started

Prerequisites

• .NET 8 SDK or higher - Download
• Node.js 18+ - Download
• PostgreSQL - Local installation with pgAdmin OR Docker Desktop
  • Local: Download PostgreSQL
  • Docker: Download Docker Desktop

Backend Setup

1. Clone the repository

   git clone <your-repo-url>
   cd DevCollab

2. Set up PostgreSQL Database

   Option A: Local PostgreSQL (Recommended if you have PostgreSQL installed)

   See detailed guide: LOCAL_POSTGRESQL_SETUP.md

   Quick steps:

   • Open pgAdmin 4
   • Create database: devcollab
   • Update DevCollab.API/appsettings.json with your password:

     "ConnectionStrings": {
       "DefaultConnection": "Host=localhost;Port=5432;Database=devcollab;Username=postgres;Password=YOUR_PASSWORD"
     }

   Option B: Docker (Alternative)

   docker-compose up -d

3. Run database migrations

   cd DevCollab.API
   dotnet ef migrations add InitialCreate
   dotnet ef database update

4. Run the API

   dotnet run

   The API will be available at:

   • HTTPS: https://localhost:5001
   • HTTP: http://localhost:5000
   • Swagger: https://localhost:5001/swagger

Frontend Setup (Coming Soon)

cd frontend
npm install
npm run dev

📁 Project Structure

Backend Structure

DevCollab.API/
├── Controllers/        # API endpoints
├── Services/          # Business logic
├── Repositories/      # Data access (coming soon)
├── DTOs/             # Data transfer objects
├── Models/           # Entity models
├── Data/             # DbContext
├── Hubs/             # SignalR hubs (coming soon)
├── Middleware/       # Custom middleware (coming soon)
├── Validators/       # FluentValidation rules (coming soon)
├── Mappings/         # AutoMapper profiles (coming soon)
├── Interfaces/       # Service interfaces (coming soon)
└── Program.cs        # Application entry point

🔐 API Endpoints

Authentication

Register

POST /api/auth/register
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "John Doe",
  "email": "john@example.com",
  "password": "SecurePassword123!"
}

Response:

{
  "id": 1,
  "name": "John Doe",
  "email": "john@example.com",
  "role": "Member",
  "token": "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9..."
}

Login

POST /api/auth/login
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "email": "john@example.com",
  "password": "SecurePassword123!"
}

Response:

{
  "id": 1,
  "name": "John Doe",
  "email": "john@example.com",
  "role": "Member",
  "token": "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9..."
}

Workspaces (Coming Soon)

• GET /api/workspaces - Get all workspaces
• POST /api/workspaces - Create workspace
• GET /api/workspaces/{id} - Get workspace by ID
• PUT /api/workspaces/{id} - Update workspace
• DELETE /api/workspaces/{id} - Delete workspace

Tasks (Coming Soon)

• GET /api/workspaces/{workspaceId}/tasks - Get all tasks
• POST /api/workspaces/{workspaceId}/tasks - Create task
• PUT /api/tasks/{id} - Update task
• DELETE /api/tasks/{id} - Delete task

🗄️ Database Schema

Users

• Id (PK)
• Name
• Email (Unique)
• PasswordHash
• Role
• CreatedAt

Workspaces

• Id (PK)
• Name
• Description
• OwnerId (FK → Users)
• CreatedAt

WorkspaceMembers

• Id (PK)
• WorkspaceId (FK → Workspaces)
• UserId (FK → Users)
• Role
• JoinedAt

Tasks

• Id (PK)
• Title
• Description
• Status (Todo, InProgress, Done)
• Priority (Low, Medium, High, Urgent)
• AssignedTo (FK → Users)
• WorkspaceId (FK → Workspaces)
• DueDate
• CreatedAt
• UpdatedAt

Messages

• Id (PK)
• WorkspaceId (FK → Workspaces)
• SenderId (FK → Users)
• Content
• CreatedAt

Notifications

• Id (PK)
• UserId (FK → Users)
• Title
• Message
• IsRead
• CreatedAt

🧪 Testing with Swagger

1. Start the API: dotnet run
2. Open Swagger UI: https://localhost:5001/swagger
3. Test the /api/auth/register endpoint
4. Copy the JWT token from the response
5. Click "Authorize" button in Swagger
6. Enter: Bearer <your-token>
7. Test protected endpoints

🔧 Development Commands

Entity Framework Migrations

# Create a new migration
dotnet ef migrations add MigrationName

# Update database
dotnet ef database update

# Remove last migration
dotnet ef migrations remove

# List all migrations
dotnet ef migrations list

Database Management

# Start PostgreSQL
docker-compose up -d

# Stop PostgreSQL
docker-compose down

# View logs
docker-compose logs -f postgres

# Reset database (WARNING: Deletes all data)
docker-compose down -v
docker-compose up -d
dotnet ef database update

📚 Learning Resources

ASP.NET Core

• Official Documentation
• Entity Framework Core
• JWT Authentication

SignalR

• SignalR Documentation
• Real-time Web Apps

Next.js

• Next.js Documentation
• TypeScript Handbook

🚧 Roadmap

• Phase 1: Project setup & authentication
• Phase 2: Workspace & task CRUD APIs
• Phase 3: SignalR real-time features
• Phase 4: Frontend development
• Phase 5: Testing & optimization
• Phase 6: Deployment

🤝 Contributing

This is a learning project. Feel free to:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Submit a pull request

📝 Notes

• Security: Change the JWT secret key in production
• Database: Update PostgreSQL credentials for production
• CORS: Update allowed origins for production
• AutoMapper Warning: Version 12.0.1 has a known vulnerability. Monitor for updates.

📄 License

This project is for educational purposes.

🎓 What You'll Learn

• Building RESTful APIs with ASP.NET Core
• Database design and Entity Framework Core
• JWT authentication and authorization
• Real-time communication with SignalR
• Clean architecture principles
• Repository and service patterns
• Docker containerization
• Full-stack application deployment

---

Happy Coding! 🚀