Entities Listing Server Documentation

The Entities Listing Server is a RESTful API built with Node.js, Express, and MongoDB, designed for managing and fetching account data for people and businesses. This server, called entities-listing-server, allows users to create, read, update, and delete their account data, while public users can view publicly accessible information about registered entities.

Overview

This server supports:

1. User Account Management: Allows individuals and businesses to create accounts.
2. CRUD Operations: Registered users can perform full CRUD operations on their own accounts.
3. Public Access to Data: Public users can fetch selected data about registered users and businesses.
4. Data Security: User information is secured by JWT authentication for protected routes, ensuring that only authenticated users can modify their own data.

Schema

The following data structure is stored for each user:

{
  email: String,         // User's unique email address
  password: String,      // Encrypted password
  name: String,          // First name
  surname: String,       // Last name
  age: Number,           // Age of the user
  username: String,      // Unique username
  instagram: String,     // Instagram handle
  linkedin: String,      // LinkedIn handle
  whatsapp: String,      // WhatsApp contact link
  twitter: String,       // Twitter handle
  mobile: String,        // Mobile number
  race: String,          // Race/ethnicity
  banner: String,        // Banner image URL
  image: String,         // Profile image URL
  address: String,       // Street address
  state: String,         // State of residence
  region: String,        // Regional location
  country: String,       // Country of residence
  gender: String,        // Gender identity
  city: String,          // City of residence
  generation: String,    // Generational identity
  description: String,   // Brief user bio/description
  postal_code: String,   // Postal code
  profession: String     // User's profession
}

Each document also includes automatically generated timestamps: createdAt and updatedAt.

API Endpoints

The server exposes the following endpoints:

Public Endpoints

GET /entities Fetches a list of all public entity data (with optional filters).

GET /entities/id

Fetches detailed information for a specific entity by ID.

Protected Endpoints (Authentication required)

POST /entities/register Allows a new user or business to create an account. Requires email and password fields as mandatory data.

PUT /entities/:id

Updates account information for the authenticated user. The user must match the id provided in the request.

DELETE /entities/:id

Deletes the authenticated user's account. The user must match the id provided in the request.

Authentication Middleware

The server uses JWT authentication to protect routes, ensuring that only authenticated users can modify their own data. Access tokens must be provided in the Authorization header as Bearer <token>.

Data Validation & Security

1. Email Validation: Ensures a valid and unique email address.
2. Password Security: Passwords are hashed before storage for enhanced security.
3. Input Validation: Input validation is enforced using libraries like validator to ensure data consistency and validity.

Setting Up

1. Prerequisites

Node.js (v14+) MongoDB database (local or cloud-based)

2. Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the root of the project and define the following:

PORT=5000                // Port the server will run on
MONGO_URI=<your_mongodb_connection_string>
SECRET=<your_jwt_secret>

3. Running the Server

After cloning the repository and setting up the environment variables:

npm install
npm start

The server will be accessible at http://localhost:<PORT>.

Usage Example

Here’s an example of creating a new account:

curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/entities \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
        "email": "testuser@example.com",
        "password": "Password*123",
        "name": "Test",
        "surname": "User",
        "profession": "Software Developer"
      }'

Response:

{
  "message": "Account created successfully",
  "data": {
    "_id": "606d5e7a1c2d4b0f2d1c9e0b",
    "email": "testuser@example.com",
    "name": "Test",
    "surname": "User",
    "profession": "Software Developer",
    "createdAt": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z"
  }
}

Additional Notes

JWT Expiry: Tokens expire in 3 days for security purposes. CORS: Configured to allow requests from specific origins. Data Encryption: Sensitive data, such as passwords, is hashed for security.

This API provides a secure and flexible solution for managing public and private data for users and businesses, making it suitable for social networks, professional listings, and business directories.