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Prerequisites

Before setting up PrivyCode locally, ensure you have the following installed:

Go 1.23+

Required for running the Go backend server

PostgreSQL

Database for storing users and viewer links

GitHub OAuth App

For authenticating users via GitHub

Git

For cloning the repository

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Step 1: Clone the Repository

1

Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/greatdaveo/privycode-server
cd privycode-server
2

Install Go dependencies

go mod tidy
This will download all required dependencies including:
  • gorm.io/gorm - ORM for database operations
  • gorm.io/driver/postgres - PostgreSQL driver
  • github.com/joho/godotenv - Environment variable loading
  • golang.org/x/oauth2 - GitHub OAuth2 integration

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Step 2: Set Up PostgreSQL Database

1

Create a PostgreSQL database

CREATE DATABASE privycode;
2

Get your database connection URL

Your DATABASE_URL should follow this format:
postgresql://username:password@localhost:5432/privycode?sslmode=disable
For local development, sslmode=disable is acceptable. For production, always use SSL connections.

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Step 3: Create GitHub OAuth App

1

Go to GitHub Developer Settings

Navigate to GitHub Developer Settings → OAuth Apps → New OAuth App
2

Configure your OAuth app

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Application name
string
required
PrivyCode Local (or any name you prefer)
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Homepage URL
string
required
http://localhost:5173 (or your frontend URL)
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Authorization callback URL
string
required
http://localhost:8080/github/callback
3

Save your credentials

After creating the app, copy:
  • Client ID
  • Client Secret (click “Generate a new client secret”)
You’ll need these for your .env file.

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Step 4: Configure Environment Variables

1

Create .env file

Copy the example environment file:
cp .env.example .env
2

Update .env with your values

.env
PORT=8080
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://username:password@localhost:5432/privycode?sslmode=disable
GITHUB_CLIENT_ID=your_github_client_id
GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET=your_github_client_secret
GITHUB_CALLBACK_URL=http://localhost:8080/github/callback
FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:5173
MOBILE_URL=http://localhost:5173
Do not set GO_ENV=production for local development. The server will automatically load the .env file when GO_ENV is not set to production.

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Step 5: Run Database Migrations

1

Uncomment migration line

Open cmd/server/main.go and uncomment the migration line:
cmd/server/main.go
func main() {
    // To Connect to the DB
    config.ConnectDB()

    // For auto migrate to DB
    config.RunMigrations() // Uncomment this line

    // ... rest of the code
}
2

Run the server once to migrate

go run cmd/server/main.go
You should see:
Connected to PostgreSQL successfully!!!
Migrations completed successfully
Server starting on :8080...
3

Comment out migration line

After the first run, comment out the migration line again to avoid running migrations on every server restart:
cmd/server/main.go
// config.RunMigrations()

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Step 6: Start the Development Server

go run cmd/server/main.go
The server will start on http://localhost:8080
Your server is now running! You should see:
Connected to PostgreSQL successfully!!!
Server starting on :8080...

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Testing the API

1

Test the health check

curl http://localhost:8080/
2

Test GitHub OAuth login

Visit http://localhost:8080/github/login in your browser. You should be redirected to GitHub for authentication.

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Common Issues

Make sure your .env file exists in the project root and is not named .env.txt or similar.
  • Verify PostgreSQL is running: psql -U postgres -c "SELECT 1;"
  • Check your DATABASE_URL format
  • Ensure the database exists: psql -U postgres -l
  • Verify your GITHUB_CALLBACK_URL matches exactly what’s in GitHub OAuth settings
  • Check that GITHUB_CLIENT_ID and GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET are correct
  • Ensure your frontend URL is in the CORS allowed origins
Change the PORT in your .env file or kill the process using port 8080:
# Find process on port 8080
lsof -i :8080

# Kill it
kill -9 <PID>

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Next Steps

Environment Variables

Learn about all available configuration options

Deployment

Deploy your server to production

API Reference

Explore the available API endpoints

Authentication

Understand how authentication works

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