portfolio-app/backend/README.md

Portfolio API Backend

This is a simple and efficient backend server built with Node.js and Express. Its primary purpose is to handle the contact form submissions from the portfolio frontend, sending emails via SMTP using Nodemailer.

✨ Features

• Email Service: Securely sends emails from the contact form.
• Input Validation: Ensures required fields (name, email, message) are present and the email format is valid.
• CORS Enabled: Configured with CORS to only accept requests from the frontend application.
• Specific Error Handling: Returns structured error keys for different SMTP and server issues, allowing the frontend to display translated, user-friendly messages.
• Health Check: Includes a /api/health endpoint to easily verify if the server is running.

🛠️ Tech Stack

• Runtime: Node.js
• Framework: Express.js
• Email: Nodemailer
• Environment Variables: Dotenv
• Cross-Origin Requests: CORS

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18 or later)
• npm

Installation & Setup

1. Navigate to the backend directory:

   cd backend
   

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   

3. Create an environment file: Create a file named .env in the backend directory and populate it with your credentials. Do not commit this file to version control.

   .env.example

   # The port for the backend server
   BACKEND_PORT=3001
   
   # Your frontend URL for CORS
   FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:3000
   
   # Nodemailer SMTP Configuration
   SMTP_HOST=smtp.example.com
   SMTP_PORT=587
   SMTP_SECURE=false
   SMTP_USER=your-email@example.com
   SMTP_PASS=your-email-password
   YOUR_RECEIVING_EMAIL=your-personal-email@example.com
   

4. Run the server:

   npm start
   

   The server will start on the port defined in your .env file (e.g., 3001).

📝 API Endpoints

Health Check

• GET /api/health
  • Description: Checks the server status.
  • Success Response (200):

    { "status": "UP", "message": "Backend is running" }
    

Send Email

• POST /api/email/send
  • Description: Processes and sends a contact form submission.
  • Request Body:

    {
      "name": "string",
      "email": "string",
      "message": "string"
    }
    

  • Success Response (200):

    { "message": "Message sent successfully!" }
    

  • Error Responses (4xx/5xx): Returns a JSON object with an errorKey for the frontend to translate.

    { "errorKey": "smtp_auth_failed" }