25-HealthCare Backend

Backend API for WDS Healthcare project 2025, built with Express.js, TypeScript, and PostgreSQL.

Tech Stack

• Runtime: Node.js
• Framework: Express.js 5
• Language: TypeScript
• Database: PostgreSQL (via Docker)
• ORM: Prisma
• Testing: Vitest
• Code Formatting: Prettier

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

• Node.js (v20 or higher recommended)
• Docker and Docker Compose (for local PostgreSQL database)
• npm (comes with Node.js)

Quick Start

1. Install Dependencies

npm install

2. Set Up Environment Variables

Copy the example environment file:

cp .env.example .env

The .env file contains:

• DATABASE_URL - PostgreSQL connection string
• PORT - Server port (default: 3000)
• NODE_ENV - Environment (development/production)

3. Start the Database

Start PostgreSQL using Docker Compose:

npm run docker:up

This will:

• Pull the PostgreSQL 16 image (if not already downloaded)
• Start a container named healthcare-postgres
• Create a persistent volume for data
• Expose the database on localhost:5432

4. Set Up the Database Schema

Push the Prisma schema to create tables:

npm run db:push

Or create a migration (recommended for production):

npm run db:migrate

5. Generate Prisma Client

Generate the Prisma Client (usually done automatically, but can be run manually):

npm run db:generate

6. Start the Development Server

npm run dev

The server will start on http://localhost:3000 (or the port specified in .env).

Available Scripts

Development

• npm run dev - Start development server with hot reload
• npm run build - Build TypeScript to JavaScript
• npm start - Start production server (requires build first)

Database

• npm run db:generate - Generate Prisma Client
• npm run db:push - Push schema changes to database (development)
• npm run db:migrate - Create and apply a migration
• npm run db:migrate:deploy - Deploy migrations (production)
• npm run db:studio - Open Prisma Studio (database GUI)
• npm run db:seed - Run database seed script

Docker

• npm run docker:up - Start PostgreSQL container
• npm run docker:down - Stop PostgreSQL container
• npm run docker:logs - View PostgreSQL logs

Testing

• npm test - Run tests once
• npm run test:watch - Run tests in watch mode
• npm run test:coverage - Run tests with coverage report

Code Quality

• npm run format - Format all code with Prettier
• npm run format:check - Check code formatting without changes

Project Structure

backend/
├── src/
│   ├── controllers/     # Request handlers
│   ├── routes/          # API route definitions
│   ├── lib/             # Shared utilities
│   │   └── prisma.ts    # Prisma client instance
│   └── index.ts         # Application entry point
├── prisma/
│   └── schema.prisma    # Database schema
├── docker-compose.yml   # PostgreSQL container configuration
├── .env                 # Environment variables (gitignored)
├── .env.example         # Environment variables template
└── package.json         # Dependencies and scripts

Database Management

Using Prisma Studio

Prisma Studio provides a visual interface to view and edit your database:

npm run db:studio

This opens a web interface at http://localhost:5555.

Making Schema Changes

1. Edit prisma/schema.prisma
2. Push changes (development):

   npm run db:push

3. Or create a migration (recommended):

   npm run db:migrate

   This creates a migration file in prisma/migrations/ for version control.

Using Prisma in Your Code

import { prisma } from './lib/prisma.js';

// Example: Get all users
const users = await prisma.user.findMany();

// Example: Create a user
const newUser = await prisma.user.create({
  data: {
    email: 'user@example.com',
    name: 'John Doe',
  },
});

API Routes

The API is organized by resource:

• /api/users - User management
• /api/appointments - Appointment management
• /api/documents - Document management

Development Workflow

1. Start the database (if not already running):

   npm run docker:up

2. Start the development server:

   npm run dev

3. Make changes to your code

4. Test your changes:

   npm test

5. Format your code before committing:

   npm run format

Contributing

Branch Naming

Create branches off of dev using the format: <name>/type-title-of-this-branch

Valid types:

• feat: New feature
• fix: Bug fix
• refact: Refactor
• docs: Documentation
• chore: Maintenance task

Pull Request Process

1. Create a branch from dev
2. Make your changes
3. Run tests: npm test
4. Format code: npm run format
5. Open a pull request to dev

Branches

• dev - Development branch (where contributions are made)
• qa - Quality assurance branch (functional version for testing)
• prod - Production branch (production-ready code)

Troubleshooting

Database Connection Issues

If you can't connect to the database:

1. Check if the container is running:

   docker-compose ps

2. View database logs:

   npm run docker:logs

3. Restart the database:

   npm run docker:down
   npm run docker:up

Prisma Client Not Found

If you get errors about Prisma Client:

npm run db:generate

Port Already in Use

If port 3000 is already in use, change the PORT in your .env file.

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
DATABASE_URL	PostgreSQL connection string	Required
PORT	Server port	3000
NODE_ENV	Environment (development/production)	development

License

ISC