START_SERVERS.md

How to Start GitLife

Quick Start Guide

Prerequisites Check

Before starting, make sure:

1. ✅ MongoDB is installed and running
2. ✅ Node.js is installed (v16+)
3. ✅ Dependencies are installed

Step 1: Install Dependencies (First Time Only)

Run these commands once:

# Install frontend dependencies
npm install

# Install backend dependencies
cd server
npm install
cd ..

Step 2: Start MongoDB

MongoDB is already running on your system! ✅

If you need to start it manually:

• Windows: MongoDB should be running as a service
• Mac: brew services start mongodb-community
• Linux: sudo systemctl start mongod

Step 3: Start Backend Server

Open a terminal and run:

cd server
npm start

You should see:

Connected to MongoDB successfully
Creating database indexes...
Database indexes created successfully
Server is running on http://localhost:5000

Keep this terminal open! Don't close it.

Step 4: Start Frontend

Open a NEW terminal (separate from backend) and run:

npm run dev

You should see:

VITE v5.x.x ready in xxx ms

➜  Local:   http://localhost:5173/

Step 5: Open the App

1. Open your browser
2. Go to http://localhost:5173
3. You should see the login/register screen
4. Create an account and start using GitLife!

Troubleshooting

Error: "Unexpected token '<', '<!DOCTYPE'... is not valid JSON"

This means the backend server is not running!

Solution:

1. Check if the backend terminal is running
2. Make sure you see "Server is running on http://localhost:5000"
3. If not, run cd server && npm start
4. Refresh your browser

Error: "Failed to fetch" or "Network request failed"

The backend server isn't running or can't be reached.

Solution:

1. Start the backend server: cd server && npm start
2. Check that it's running on port 5000
3. Verify your .env file has: VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:5000/api

Error: "MongoDB connection error"

MongoDB isn't running.

Solution:

1. Start MongoDB:
   • Windows: Check Task Manager for "mongod" service
   • Mac: brew services start mongodb-community
   • Linux: sudo systemctl start mongod
2. Verify it's running: mongosh (should connect)

Error: Port 5000 already in use

Another application is using port 5000.

Solution:

1. Find what's using port 5000:
   • Windows: netstat -ano | findstr :5000
   • Mac/Linux: lsof -i :5000
2. Kill that process or change port in server/.env:

   PORT=5001
   

3. Also update frontend .env:

   VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:5001/api
   

Backend starts but immediately crashes

Check the error message in the terminal. Common issues:

1. Missing dependencies: Run cd server && npm install
2. MongoDB not accessible: Make sure MongoDB is running
3. Wrong MongoDB URI: Check server/.env has correct URI

Can't register/login after backend is running

Check browser console (F12) for errors:

1. CORS errors: Backend should have CORS enabled (it does)
2. Network errors: Check Network tab, make sure requests go to localhost:5000
3. Backend errors: Check backend terminal for error messages

Quick Commands Reference

# Install all dependencies (first time)
npm install && cd server && npm install && cd ..

# Start backend (Terminal 1)
cd server && npm start

# Start frontend (Terminal 2)
npm run dev

# Check if MongoDB is running
mongosh

# Check what's on port 5000
netstat -ano | findstr :5000

Development Mode

For faster development with auto-reload:

Backend (Terminal 1):

cd server
npm run dev  # Uses nodemon for auto-reload

Frontend (Terminal 2):

npm run dev  # Vite has hot-reload by default

Stopping the Servers

1. Backend: Press Ctrl+C in the backend terminal
2. Frontend: Press Ctrl+C in the frontend terminal
3. MongoDB (optional):
   • Usually leave it running
   • To stop: brew services stop mongodb-community (Mac) or sudo systemctl stop mongod (Linux)

Summary

Two terminals needed:

1. Terminal 1: Backend server (cd server && npm start)
2. Terminal 2: Frontend dev server (npm run dev)

URLs:

• Frontend: http://localhost:5173
• Backend API: http://localhost:5000/api
• MongoDB: mongodb://localhost:27017

Keep both terminals open while using the app!