SCRIBLY

Effortless Sticky Notes with Smart Alerts & Customization!
Report Bug · Request Feature . Contribute . Pull Requests . Report Security Issue . Fork the Project

Table of Contents

1. About The Project
   • Features
   • Built With
2. Getting Started
   • Prerequisites
   • Installation
3. Usage
4. Additional Notes
5. Roadmap
6. Contributing
7. Contact
8. Acknowledgments

About The Project

Scribly is a modern sticky note web app designed to enhance productivity and organization. With a sleek and intuitive interface, it allows users to effortlessly add, edit, delete, and organize notes.

Features

• 🔐 Google Authentication – Secure authentication using OAuth2 with Passport.js
• 🔔 Push Notifications – Send real-time alerts using Web Push API
• 🛡️ Data Sanitization – Prevent XSS attacks with DOMPurify and JSDOM
• 🔑 JWT Authentication – Secure user sessions with JSON Web Tokens (JWT)
• 📅 Automated Tasks – Schedule background jobs with Node-Cron
• 🔄 Session Management – Handle user sessions efficiently with Express-Session
• 🗄️ PostgreSQL Database – Store and manage data with pg (node-postgres)
• 🌐 CORS Support – Secure cross-origin requests with CORS middleware
• 📝 Markdown Parsing – Render and sanitize user-generated content with Marked.js

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Built With

Powered by robust backend technologies for seamless performance and security.

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Getting Started

Get started quickly with these easy setup instructions.

Prerequisites

Before setting up the project, ensure you have the following installed:

• Node.js – Download Node.js (LTS version recommended)
• PostgreSQL – Install and configure PostgreSQL for database management (Download PostgreSQL)
• npm or Yarn – Comes with Node.js; used to install project dependencies
• Git – Download Git to clone the repository
• Railway Account – If deploying on Railway, create a free account at Railway
• Google Cloud Project – Set up a Google Cloud project for Google Authentication (Guide)
• Web Push API Keys – Generate keys for enabling push notifications (Web Push Guide)
• Environment Variables – Create a .env file and configure the required variables (see .env.example)

Additionally, having a basic understanding of the following will be helpful:

• Express.js – For handling API requests efficiently
• JWT Authentication – Secure user authentication using JSON Web Tokens
• Node-Cron – For scheduling background tasks

Installation

Follow these steps to set up the project locally:

1. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/akash85246/Scribly-backend.git
   cd Scribly
   

2. Install Dependencies

   npm install

3. Set Up Environment Variables

   # Server Configuration
    PORT=5001
    BASE_URL=http://localhost:5001
    FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:5174
   
    # Database Configuration
    DB_HOST=your_database_host
    DB_PORT=your_database_port
    DB_USER=your_database_user
    DB_PASSWORD=your_database_password
    DB_DATABASE=your_database_name
    DB_SSL=true  # Set to "true" if using SSL, otherwise "false"
   
    # Session Secret (for Express session)
    SESSION_SECRET=your_random_session_secret
   
    # Google OAuth Credentials
    GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your_google_client_id
    GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=your_google_client_secret
   
    # JWT Secret (for authentication)
    JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
   
    # Admin Configuration
    ADMIN_EMAIL=your_admin_email
   
    # Web Push Notifications (VAPID Keys)
    WEB_PUSH_PUBLIC_KEY=your_web_push_public_key
    WEB_PUSH_PRIVATE_KEY=your_web_push_private_key
   

4. Change git remote url to avoid accidental pushes to base project

   git remote set-url origin github_username/repo_name
   git remote -v # confirm the changes

5. Run the Project

   npm start

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Usage

Once the backend is running, it provides the following functionalities:

1. User Authentication

• Supports Google OAuth for secure sign-in.
• Generates and manages user sessions using JWT tokens.
• Uses Express sessions for handling persistent login states.

2. Sticky Note Management

• Create Notes: Users can add new notes with a title, content, and optional alert.
• Edit Notes: Allows users to update the content of existing notes.
• Delete Notes: Users can remove notes they no longer need.

3. Push Notifications

• Sends real-time push notifications for alerts using web-push.
• Users receive notifications when a note's alert time is triggered.

4. User Session Management

• Uses JWT-based authentication for secure API access.
• Implements session handling with express-session to manage login states.
• Users can log out securely, clearing their sessions.

5. Database Management

• PostgreSQL is used as the primary database.
• Data is securely stored with optional SSL support for remote connections.
• Uses Knex.js for query building and database transactions.

6. Sorting & Filtering

• Supports sorting and filtering of notes by:
  • Title
  • Content
  • Creation date
  • Alert date

7. Security Features

• Implements CORS policies to prevent unauthorized cross-origin requests.
• Uses DOMPurify & jsdom to sanitize user inputs, preventing XSS attacks.
• Supports JWT token-based API authentication for secure access.

Additional Notes

• Database Setup: Ensure that PostgreSQL is running and the .env file is correctly configured.
• Environment Variables: Modify the .env file to set up API keys, database credentials, and authentication secrets.
• Deployment: Can be deployed on Railway, Render, or any cloud-based Node.js server.
• Frontend Integration: This backend is designed to work with the Scribly frontend application.

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Roadmap

Here are the planned improvements and features for the backend:

• User Authentication – Implement Google OAuth login.
• JWT-based Authentication – Secure API access using JSON Web Tokens.
• Session Management – Maintain user sessions with express-session.
• Sticky Note API – Enable adding, editing, and deleting notes.
• Push Notifications – Implement web-push for real-time alerts.
• Database Integration – Store and manage data with PostgreSQL.
• Security Enhancements – Implement CORS, input sanitization, and session protection.
• Deployment Readiness – Prepare for cloud deployment on Railway or other platforms.

See the open issues for a full list of proposed features (and known issues).

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Contributing

Contributions are what make the open source community such an amazing place to learn, inspire, and create. Any contributions you make are greatly appreciated.

If you have a suggestion that would make this better, please fork the repo and create a pull request. You can also simply open an issue with the tag "enhancement". Don't forget to give the project a star! Thanks again!

1. Fork the Project

   • Click the "Fork" button at the top-right corner of this page to create a copy of the repository in your GitHub account.

2. Clone the Repository

   • Clone your forked repository to your local machine:

     git clone https://github.com/your-username/Scribly-backend.git

3. Create Your Feature Branch

   • Navigate to your project folder and create a new branch for your feature:

     git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature

4. Commit Your Changes

   • After making the necessary changes, commit them:

     git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature'

5. Push to the Branch

   • Push your changes to your forked repository:

     git push origin feature/AmazingFeature

6. Open a Pull Request

   • Go to the original repository (akash85246/Scribly), and open a pull request to merge your feature branch into the main branch.
   • Provide a brief description of the changes you've made and submit the pull request for review.

Top contributors:

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Contact

Akash Rajput - @akash_rajp91025 - [email protected]

Project Link: https://github.com/akash85246/Scribly-backend

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Acknowledgments

I would like to extend my gratitude to the following resources and technologies that made this project possible:

• Google Authentication – For enabling secure OAuth-based user authentication.
• PostgreSQL – For offering a reliable and scalable database solution.
• Node.js & Express.js – For powering the backend and handling API requests efficiently.
• Passport.js – For simplifying authentication and session management.
• JSON Web Token (JWT) – For secure user authentication and API access control.
• Web Push API – For enabling push notifications and real-time alerts.
• Node-Cron – For scheduling background tasks and automated reminders.
• Dompurify & JSDOM – For ensuring safe and sanitized HTML handling.
• MDN & DevDocs – For providing excellent documentation and learning resources.
• Open Source Community – For their contributions to the tools and libraries that made this backend possible.

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