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Overview

StockAPI requires specific environment variables and Node.js dependencies to function properly. This guide will walk you through setting up your development environment.

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Prerequisites

  • Node.js 20 or higher
  • npm (Node Package Manager)
  • A MongoDB Atlas account (for database connection)
  • A Resend account (for email functionality)

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Environment Variables

StockAPI uses the following environment variables that must be configured before running the application:
1

Create .env file

Create a .env file in the root directory of your project:
touch .env
2

Add required variables

Add the following environment variables to your .env file:
.env
# Application Configuration
APP_NAME="Your App Name"
PORT=3000

# MongoDB Connection
MONGO_URI="mongodb+srv://username:[email protected]/database"

# JWT Authentication
JWT_SECRET="your-secret-key-here"

# Email Configuration
EMAIL_USER="[email protected]"
EMAIL_PASS="your-email-password-or-app-key"

# Resend API (for email sending)
RESEND_API_KEY="re_your_api_key_here"
3

Configure each variable

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Variable Descriptions

VariableDescriptionExample
APP_NAMESubject line for emails sent by the API"Stock Management System"
PORTPort number where the server will run3000
MONGO_URIMongoDB Atlas connection stringSee Database Connection
JWT_SECRETSecret key for JWT token generation"my-super-secret-key-123"
EMAIL_USEREmail address to receive contact form messages"[email protected]"
EMAIL_PASSPassword or app-specific key for email account"your-app-password"
RESEND_API_KEYAPI key from Resend.com"re_123abc..."
Never commit your .env file to version control. Make sure .env is listed in your .gitignore file to prevent accidentally exposing sensitive credentials.

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Installing Dependencies

StockAPI uses several npm packages that need to be installed before running the application.
1

Install production dependencies

Run the following command to install all required dependencies:
npm install
This will install the following packages:

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Core Dependencies

The application uses the following npm packages (from package.json): 
{
  "dependencies": {
    "bcryptjs": "^3.0.2",
    "body-parser": "^2.2.0",
    "cors": "^2.8.5",
    "dotenv": "^17.2.3",
    "express": "^5.1.0",
    "jsonwebtoken": "^9.0.2",
    "mongoose": "^8.19.2",
    "nodemailer": "^7.0.10",
    "resend": "^6.4.2"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "nodemon": "^3.1.10"
  }
}

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Package Purposes

  • express: Web framework for building the API
  • mongoose: MongoDB object modeling for Node.js
  • dotenv: Loads environment variables from .env file
  • jsonwebtoken: JWT token generation and validation for authentication
  • bcryptjs: Password hashing for secure user credential storage
  • body-parser: Middleware for parsing incoming request bodies
  • cors: Middleware for handling Cross-Origin Resource Sharing
  • nodemailer: Email sending functionality
  • resend: Modern email API service integration
  • nodemon (dev): Automatically restarts server during development

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Running the Application

Once your environment is configured and dependencies are installed, you can start the application: 
npm start
If everything is configured correctly, you should see: 
✅ Conexión a MongoDB Atlas establecida correctamente
✅ Servidor funcionando en el puerto 3000
The application will not start if it cannot connect to MongoDB. Make sure your MONGO_URI is correctly configured before running the app.

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Troubleshooting

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Port Already in Use

If port 3000 is already in use, change the PORT variable in your .env file: 
PORT=3001

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Missing Dependencies

If you encounter module not found errors, ensure all dependencies are installed: 
rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
npm install

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Environment Variables Not Loading

Make sure:
  • Your .env file is in the root directory
  • There are no spaces around the = sign in your .env file
  • You restart the server after changing environment variables

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Next Steps

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