Quickstart

Overview

The Construction Backend API is a RESTful service built with Node.js, Express, and MongoDB. It provides endpoints for user authentication and quotation management for construction projects.

This guide will help you set up and run the API locally on your machine. Make sure you have Node.js 16+ and MongoDB Atlas account ready.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

Node.js (version 16 or higher)
npm or yarn package manager
MongoDB Atlas account (free tier available)
A code editor (VS Code recommended)

Installation

Clone the repository

First, clone the repository to your local machine:

git clone <your-repository-url>
cd construction_backend_mongo

Install dependencies

Install all required npm packages:

npm install

This will install the following key dependencies:

express - Web framework
mongoose - MongoDB object modeling
bcryptjs - Password hashing
cors - Cross-origin resource sharing
dotenv - Environment variable management

Configure environment variables

Create a .env file in the root directory:

touch .env

Add your MongoDB connection string and port configuration:

MONGO_URI=mongodb+srv://<username>:<password>@<cluster>.mongodb.net/<database>?retryWrites=true&w=majority
PORT=3000

Replace <username>, <password>, <cluster>, and <database> with your actual MongoDB Atlas credentials. Never commit your .env file to version control.

Start the server

Run the development server with hot reload:

npm run dev

Or start the production server:

npm start

You should see the following output:

Bienvenido a Vidpher API
MONGO_URI: mongodb+srv://...
PORT: 3000
Connected to MongoDB Atlas

Database connection

The API uses Mongoose to connect to MongoDB Atlas. Here’s how the connection is established:

src/database/connection.js

import mongoose from 'mongoose';
import { MONGO_URI } from './config.js';

export const connectDB = async () => {
  try {
    await mongoose.connect(MONGO_URI);

    // Connection events
    mongoose.connection.on('connected', () => {
      console.log('Connected to MongoDB Atlas');
    });

    mongoose.connection.on('error', (err) => {
      console.error('MongoDB connection error:', err);
    });

    mongoose.connection.on('disconnected', () => {
      console.log('Disconnected from MongoDB Atlas');
    });

  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error connecting to MongoDB Atlas:', error);
  }
};

The connection configuration is loaded from environment variables:

src/database/config.js

import dotenv from 'dotenv';

dotenv.config();

export const MONGO_URI = process.env.MONGO_URI;
export const PORT = process.env.PORT || 3000;

Your first API call

Once the server is running, you can start making API calls. The API is available at http://localhost:3000.

Test the connection

Verify the server is running:

curl http://localhost:3000/ruta-prueba

Response:

{
  "message": "Ruta de prueba"
}

User authentication

Register a new user

Create a new user account:

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/user/register \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "document": "1234567890",
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "password": "securePassword123",
    "name": "John",
    "last_name": "Doe",
    "cellphone": "+1234567890",
    "user_type": "contractor"
  }'

Response:

{
  "message": "Usuario registrado correctamente",
  "user": {
    "document": "1234567890",
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "name": "John",
    "last_name": "Doe",
    "cellphone": "+1234567890",
    "user_type": "contractor",
    "_id": "507f1f77bcf86cd799439011"
  }
}

User schema details

The user model includes the following fields:

document (String, required, unique) - User’s identification document
email (String, required, unique) - User’s email address
password (String, required) - Hashed password using bcryptjs
name (String, required) - User’s first name
last_name (String, required) - User’s last name
cellphone (String, required) - User’s phone number
user_type (String, required) - Type of user (e.g., contractor, admin)

Authenticate an existing user:

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/user/login \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "password": "securePassword123"
  }'

Response:

{
  "message": "Usuario logueado correctamente",
  "user": {
    "document": "1234567890",
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "name": "John",
    "last_name": "Doe",
    "cellphone": "+1234567890",
    "user_type": "contractor"
  }
}

The password is never returned in responses. The API uses bcryptjs with a salt rounds of 10 for secure password hashing.

Quotation management

Create a quotation

Create a new construction project quotation:

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/quotation/register/quotation \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "factory": "Main Construction Site",
    "fix": "Building Renovation",
    "description_quotation": "Complete office renovation including electrical and plumbing",
    "subtotal": 50000,
    "unexpected": 5000,
    "iva": 7500,
    "administratitive": 3000,
    "utility": 8000,
    "total_price": 73500,
    "sections": [
      {
        "description_sections": "Electrical Work",
        "section_price": 15000,
        "items": [
          {
            "item_name": "Wiring Installation",
            "item_description": "Install new electrical wiring throughout office",
            "item_total": 10000,
            "quantity": 100,
            "unity": "meters",
            "item_value": 100
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }'

Response:

{
  "message": "Cotización almacenada correctamente",
  "quotation": {
    "factory": "Main Construction Site",
    "fix": "Building Renovation",
    "description_quotation": "Complete office renovation including electrical and plumbing",
    "subtotal": 50000,
    "unexpected": 5000,
    "iva": 7500,
    "administratitive": 3000,
    "utility": 8000,
    "total_price": 73500,
    "sections": [...],
    "_id": "507f1f77bcf86cd799439012"
  }
}

Get all quotations

Retrieve all stored quotations:

curl http://localhost:3000/api/quotation/quotations

Response:

[
  {
    "_id": "507f1f77bcf86cd799439012",
    "factory": "Main Construction Site",
    "fix": "Building Renovation",
    "description_quotation": "Complete office renovation including electrical and plumbing",
    "subtotal": 50000,
    "unexpected": 5000,
    "iva": 7500,
    "administratitive": 3000,
    "utility": 8000,
    "total_price": 73500,
    "sections": [...]
  }
]

Quotation schema details

The quotation model includes the following structure:Main fields:

factory (String, required) - Factory or construction site name
fix (String, required) - Type of fix or construction work
description_quotation (String, required) - Overall quotation description
subtotal (Number, required) - Subtotal before taxes and fees
unexpected (Number, required) - Unexpected expenses buffer
iva (Number, required) - Tax amount (IVA)
administratitive (Number, required) - Administrative fees
utility (Number, required) - Profit margin
total_price (Number, required) - Final total price

Sections array:

description_sections (String, required) - Section description
section_price (Number, required) - Total price for section

Items array (nested within sections):

item_name (String, required) - Name of item
item_description (String, required) - Item description
item_total (Number, required) - Total cost for item
quantity (Number, required) - Quantity of items
unity (String, required) - Unit of measurement
item_value (Number, required) - Value per unit

API routes overview

The API exposes the following routes:

User routes (`/api/user`)

POST /api/user/register - Register a new user
POST /api/user/login - Authenticate a user

Quotation routes (`/api/quotation`)

GET /api/quotation/quotations - Get all quotations
POST /api/quotation/register/quotation - Create a new quotation

Test route

GET /ruta-prueba - Health check endpoint

Error handling

The API returns standard HTTP status codes:

200 - Success
201 - Resource created successfully
400 - Bad request (validation error)
401 - Unauthorized (authentication failed)
500 - Internal server error

Example error response:

{
  "message": "Email y contraseña son obligatorios"
}

Next steps

Now that you have the API running, you can:

Explore the full API reference for detailed endpoint documentation
Learn about advanced MongoDB queries with Mongoose
Implement authentication tokens (JWT) for secure API access
Deploy your API to production using Vercel or other platforms

The API is configured to work with Vercel serverless functions. The app is exported as a module for serverless deployment.

Get Started

Authentication

Quotations

Guides

Overview

Prerequisites

Installation

Database connection

Your first API call

Test the connection

User authentication

Register a new user

Quotation management

Create a quotation

Get all quotations

API routes overview

User routes (`/api/user`)

Quotation routes (`/api/quotation`)

Test route

Error handling

Next steps

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Authentication

Quotations

Guides

​Overview

​Prerequisites

​Installation

​Database connection

​Your first API call

​Test the connection

​User authentication

​Register a new user

​Login

​Quotation management

​Create a quotation

​Get all quotations

​API routes overview

​User routes (/api/user)

​Quotation routes (/api/quotation)

​Test route

​Error handling

​Next steps

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Prerequisites

Installation

Database connection

Your first API call

Test the connection

User authentication

Register a new user

Login

Quotation management

Create a quotation

Get all quotations

API routes overview

User routes (`/api/user`)

Quotation routes (`/api/quotation`)

Test route

Error handling

Next steps