Level 3: Backend refactor for deploy-ready error handling, CORS, uptime ping, and health endpoints

[sashreek-x]

Description
This PR introduces a Level 3 backend refactor focused on production readiness, maintainability, and deployment safety for AnimateHub. The changes ensure the backend is lightweight, secure, and fully compatible with cloud platforms like Render, Heroku, and Vercel.

Key improvements include:

• CORS Configuration: Dynamically supports multiple origins from environment variables, with safe fallback for development.
• Error Handling: Clean, standardized global error middleware returns structured JSON without ESLint/VSCode warnings.
• Uptime Monitoring: Optional periodic server health ping for production environments only, avoiding unnecessary dev traffic.
• Security Headers: Added basic protections (X-Frame-Options, X-XSS-Protection, X-Content-Type-Options).
• Health Endpoint: /api/health returns status, uptime, timestamp, and environment info.
• Clean Code: Zero red lines, minimal dependencies, fully deployable with modern Node.js + Express best practices.

Expected behavior

• Backend starts without errors.
• All routes function correctly.
• CORS respects allowed origins.
• Error handler returns proper JSON.
• Uptime ping logs only in production.

Actual behavior
Previous backend had:

• ESLint warnings / unused variables.
• Risky deploy practices with extra dependencies.
• Missing standardized error handling and security headers.

Possible Solution
Refactored the codebase to:

• Follow Express.js best practices.
• Be fully deployable on cloud platforms.
• Maintain Level 3 quality with minimal risk.

Additional context
No third-party plugins are added that could hinder deployment. This refactor ensures maintainability, observability, and production readiness.

1. Contributor Name :Sashreek Das
2. Contributor Email ID :iamsashreeek@gmail.com
3. Contributor Github Link :https://github.com/sashreek-x

regards,
Sashreek Das.

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✨ Hi @sashreek-x! Thanks for submitting another pull request. Your continuous improvements are highly valued. Keep contributing! 🙌

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Project	Deployment	Preview	Comments	Updated (UTC)
animate-hub	Ready	Preview	Comment	Oct 20, 2025 4:48pm

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