Secret Santa Web App

A festive Secret Santa party organizer with Christmas theme and snow animations.

Preview

Features

• Create Secret Santa parties
• Automatic random assignment with no double-ups
• Set budget limits and gift criteria
• Secure unique guest links (no snooping!)
• Beautiful Christmas theme with snow animations
• Docker deployment ready

Configuration

Create a .env file with your settings:

# Server port (default: 8003)
PORT=8003

# Base URL for generating guest links
# For local development:
BASE_URL=http://localhost:8003
# For production deployment:
BASE_URL=https://your-domain.com

Important: Set BASE_URL to your production domain when deploying, as this URL is used to generate the guest invitation links.

Quick Start with Docker

1. Build and run with Docker Compose:

   docker-compose up --build

2. Access the app:

   • Local URL: http://localhost:8003

Manual Installation

1. Install dependencies:

   npm install

2. Start the server:

   npm start

3. For development:

   npm run dev

Usage

1. Create a Party:

   • Visit the main page
   • Enter party name, budget (optional), and criteria (optional)
   • Add guest names (minimum 2, include yourself if participating!)
   • Click "Create Secret Santa Party"

2. Share with Guests:

   • Copy the individual personal links for each guest
   • Each person gets their own unique link
   • The party creator uses their personal link just like everyone else

3. Guest Participation:

   • Each person visits their unique personal link
   • They immediately see who they're buying a gift for
   • Assignments are kept secret and secure!

Technology Stack

• Backend: Node.js with Express
• Frontend: HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, Tailwind CSS
• Styling: Christmas theme with custom animations
• Deployment: Docker & Docker Compose
• Data Storage: In-memory (for demo purposes)

Docker Deployment

The app is configured to run on 0.0.0.0:8003 using Docker:

• Port: 8003
• Container Name: secret-santa-app
• Restart Policy: unless-stopped

For Production: Update the BASE_URL environment variable in docker-compose.yml to your actual domain before deploying.

Notes

• Uses file-based storage with automatic backups
• Parties and assignments persist between server restarts
• The assignment algorithm ensures no one gets themselves
• All assignments are generated once per party and saved

Merry Christmas! 🎅🎄❄️