Server runs at http://localhost:5000 (or PORT).

Authentication

Register — POST /api/auth/register

Headers: Content-Type: application/json

Example 1 — normal user

{ "name": "John Doe", "email": "john@example.com", "password": "password123" }

Example 2 — another user

{ "name": "Asha Nair", "email": "asha@example.com", "password": "StrongP@ssw0rd" }

Example 3 — quick test account

{ "name": "Test User", "email": "test@example.com", "password": "test1234" }

Login — POST /api/auth/login

Headers: Content-Type: application/json Body examples:

Example 1

{ "email": "john@example.com", "password": "password123" }

Example 2

{ "email": "asha@example.com", "password": "StrongP@ssw0rd" }

Example 3 (invalid password — expected 401)

{ "email": "john@example.com", "password": "wrongpassword" }

Response (successful):

{ "token": "<JWT_TOKEN>", "user": { "_id": "690ecbdbc02d1151c7ac6b74", "name": "John Doe", "email": "john@example.com" } }

Create Expense — POST /api/expenses

Headers: Content-Type: application/json, Authorization: Bearer Body examples:

Example 1 — Food (single-day)

{ "title": "Lunch", "amount": 15.50, "category": "Food", "description": "Lunch at restaurant", "date": "2025-11-01T12:00:00.000Z" }

Example 2 — Transport

{ "title": "Bus Ticket", "amount": 2.50, "category": "Transportation", "description": "Bus fare home", "date": "2025-11-06T18:00:00.000Z" }

Example 3 — Rent (monthly)

{ "title": "Monthly Rent", "amount": 450.00, "category": "Bills", "description": "Apartment rent for November", "date": "2025-11-01T00:00:00.000Z" }

Example 4 — Entertainment

{ "title": "Movie Night", "amount": 12.00, "category": "Entertainment", "description": "Cinema ticket", "date": "2025-11-03T21:00:00.000Z" }

Get All Expenses — GET /api/expenses

Headers: Authorization: Bearer Examples:

Fetch all (no query)

GET http://localhost:5000/api/expenses

Optional pagination/filter (if implemented):

GET http://localhost:5000/api/expenses?page=1&limit=20

Response: array of expense objects.

Get Single Expense — GET /api/expenses/:id

Headers: Authorization: Bearer Example:

GET http://localhost:5000/api/expenses/690eceaeb253023f8ddc164f

Response: expense object or 404.

Update Expense — PUT /api/expenses/:id

Headers: Content-Type: application/json, Authorization: Bearer Body examples (partial updates allowed):

Example 1 — change amount

{ "amount": 20.00 }

Example 2 — update title & description

{ "title": "Updated Lunch", "description": "Veg thali instead" }

Example 3 — change category

{ "category": "Food" }

Example request:

PUT http://localhost:5000/api/expenses/690eceaeb253023f8ddc164f

Response: updated expense object.

Delete Expense — DELETE /api/expenses/:id

Headers: Authorization: Bearer Example:

DELETE http://localhost:5000/api/expenses/690eceaeb253023f8ddc164f

Expense Summary (monthly grouped) — GET /api/expenses/summary/:userId

Example request:

GET http://localhost:5000/api/expenses/summary/690ecbdbc02d1151c7ac6b74

Example response:

{ "userId": "690ecbdbc02d1151c7ac6b74", "total": 780.25, "monthlySummary": [ { "month": "2025-10", "total": 450.50, "categories": { "Food": 250.00, "Transportation": 100.00, "Entertainment": 100.50 }, "suggestion": "You're spending over 55.4% on Food. Try reducing it by 15% to save more." }, { "month": "2025-11", "total": 329.75, "categories": { "Food": 200.00, "Bills": 79.75, "Transportation": 50.00 }, "suggestion": "Good month — spending looks balanced." } ], "topCategory": "Food", "overallSuggestion": "Consider tracking small food expenses — they add up quickly!" }

GET /api/expenses/filter

This endpoint always uses the logged-in user (from JWT). It supports optional query params:

category — e.g. Food

minAmount — number

maxAmount — number

search — text (matches title or description, case-insensitive)

Supported categories

Food Transportation Entertainment Bills Shopping Healthcare Education Other

Project Structure

src/ ├── config/ │ └── db.ts ├── controllers/ │ ├── authController.ts │ ├── expenseController.ts │ └── expenseSummaryController.ts ├── middleware/ │ ├── authMiddleware.ts │ └── errorHandler.ts ├── models/ │ ├── userModel.ts │ └── expenseModel.ts ├── routes/ │ ├── authRoutes.ts │ └── expenseRoutes.ts ├── utils/ │ └── generateToken.ts ├── app.ts └── server.ts