MERN Stack Project - Complete Guide

📌 Project Overview

This project is a full-stack web application built using the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, and Node.js). It demonstrates a complete guide on how to develop a scalable and robust MERN stack application from scratch.

✨ Features

• User Authentication (JWT-based authentication)
• CRUD Operations (Create, Read, Update, Delete)
• API Development with Express.js
• State Management with React Context API/Redux
• Responsive UI with Tailwind CSS
• Database Integration with MongoDB
• Backend Validation with Express Validator
• Deployment to Cloud Services (Vercel/Heroku)

🛠️ Tech Stack

• Frontend: React.js, Tailwind CSS
• Backend: Node.js, Express.js
• Database: MongoDB (Mongoose)
• Authentication: JWT (JSON Web Token)
• Deployment: Vercel (Frontend), Heroku/Render (Backend)

📂 Project Structure

mern-stack-project/
├── server/
│   ├── db/
│   │     ├── connection.js
│   ├── node_modules/
│   ├── routes/
│   │    ├── record.js
│   ├── .env
│   ├── package-lock.json
│   ├── package.json
│   ├── server.js
├── client/
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── Asserts/
│   │   ├── components/
│   │   │    ├── Navbar.jsx
│   │   │    ├── Record.jsx
│   │   │    ├── RecordList.jsx  
│   │   ├── App.jsx
│   │   ├── App.css
│   │   ├── index.css
│   │   ├── main.jsx
│   ├── public/
│   ├── package.json
├── .env
├── README.md
├── package.json
├── .gitignore
├── eslint.config.js
├── index.html
├── postcss.config.js
├── tailwind.config.js
├── vite.config.js

🚀 Installation Guide

Prerequisites

Make sure you have the following installed:

• Node.js (v16 or later)
• MongoDB (Local or Cloud Atlas)
• Git

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/Colyzo466/mern-stack-project.git
cd mern-stack-project

Step 2: Setup Backend

cd server
npm install

Create a .env file in the server/ directory and add:

MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
JWT_SECRET=your_secret_key
PORT=5000

Run the backend server:

npm start

Step 3: Setup Frontend

cd ../client
npm install
npm run dev

🔧 Step-by-Step Implementation

1⃣ Setting Up the Backend

• Create server.js and initialize Express.js.
• Connect MongoDB using Mongoose in db/connection.js.
• Define API routes in routes/record.js.
• Setup middleware and environment variables in .env.

2⃣ Creating the Frontend

• Set up React with Tailwind CSS.
• Create UI components like Navbar.jsx, Record.jsx, and RecordList.jsx.
• Implement styling in App.css and index.css.
• Use App.jsx as the main component.
• Configure Vite in vite.config.js.

🔗 API Endpoints

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to open issues or create pull requests.

📜 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.