Standardize Local Development Environment with Docker Compose #577

[rishabh0510rishabh]

Description

This PR introduces a fully containerized development environment using Docker Compose. It restructures the codebase into clear client and server directories to separate concerns and provides an easy one-command setup for new contributors.

🔗 Related Issue

Fixes #577

Changes

• Project Restructuring:
  • Moved backend code to server/.
  • Moved frontend static files and logic to client/.
• Docker Configuration:
  • Added server/Dockerfile for the Node.js API.
  • Added client/Dockerfile with Nginx for serving static assets and proxying API requests.
  • Added docker-compose.yml to orchestrate Client, Server, and MongoDB.
• Persistence:
  • configured Docker volumes for MongoDB (mongo-data).
  • Configured volumes for server data (server-data) and backups (server-backups) to ensure contact form messages and financial backups are persisted.
• Cleanup:
  • Removed legacy static file serving from server/server.js as Nginx now handles this.

Verification

• Static Analysis: Verified that backend code does not reference moved frontend files.
• Environment: Verified .env loading and start scripts.
• Architecture: Confirmed Nginx correctly proxies /api and /socket.io to the backend.
• [-] Runtime Test: Skipped due to local Docker environment issues. CI/CD pipeline should perform final runtime verification.

How to Test

1. Ensure Docker Desktop is running.
2. Run docker-compose up --build.
3. Visit http://localhost:3000 to see the app.
4. Verify data persistence by creating an expense and restarting the containers.

Label: ECWoC26

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🎉 Thanks for the PR, @rishabh0510rishabh!

We really appreciate you taking the time to contribute to ExpenseFlow! 💙

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✅ PR Checklist

Before we review, please ensure:

• Your code follows the project's coding standards
• All file changes are accurate and intentional
• You've tested your changes locally
• Any review comments have been addressed

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🙌 Thank You for Contributing!

We truly appreciate your interest in contributing to this project.

• Please make sure your code follows the project structure
• Add clear commit messages and comments where necessary
• Ensure your changes do not break existing functionality

We'll review your PR as soon as possible. Keep up the great work! ✨

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Project	Deployment	Actions	Updated (UTC)
expenseflow	Ready	Preview, Comment	Feb 10, 2026 0:53am

[Renu-code123]

@rishabh0510rishabh resolve conflict