LegacyNote - Digital Time Capsule Platform

Create digital time capsules that deliver your messages exactly when you want them to.

📋 Contents

• Overview
• Key Features
• Technology Stack
• Architecture
• Installation
• Usage
• Deployment
• Environment Variables
• Security Features
• Contributors
• License

🔍 Overview

LegacyNote is a sophisticated full-stack application that allows users to create encrypted time capsule messages with scheduled delivery dates. Whether it's a future birthday message, personal milestone, or legacy message, LegacyNote ensures your words are preserved and delivered exactly when intended.

✨ Key Features

• Scheduled Message Delivery: Set specific dates and times for message delivery
• End-to-End Encryption: All message content is encrypted using AES-256 for privacy and security
• Media Attachments: Include images, videos, documents, and audio files with your messages
• Multiple Recipients: Send to one or multiple email recipients
• Recipient Notifications: Automatic email notifications when messages are delivered
• Self-Messages: Schedule messages to yourself as future reminders or reflections
• Public/Private Toggle: Choose to make messages shareable or private
• Email Verification: OTP verification system for account security
• Google Authentication: Single-sign on with Google account
• Responsive Design: Fully optimized for all device sizes from mobile to desktop
• Dark Mode Support: Toggle between light and dark themes

💻 Technology Stack

Frontend

• React 19.0.0
• React Router DOM 6.30.0
• Tailwind CSS 3.3.3
• React Toastify 11.0.5
• @react-oauth/google for Google authentication
• Formik & Yup for form validation
• Date-fns 4.1.0 for date manipulation
• Framer Motion 12.6.5 for animations
• Vite 6.2.0 for development and building

Backend

• Node.js
• Express.js 4.18.2
• MongoDB 8.13.2 with Mongoose ODM
• JWT Authentication (jsonwebtoken 9.0.2)
• Nodemailer 6.10.1 for email services
• Cloudinary for media storage
• Crypto-js 4.2.0 for encryption
• Agenda.js 5.0.0 for task scheduling
• Helmet 8.1.0 for security headers

🏗️ Architecture

LegacyNote employs a modern, decoupled architecture:

Client Application

• Single-page React application with component-based architecture
• Context API for global state management
• Custom hooks for reusable logic
• Responsive design with Tailwind CSS

Server API

• RESTful API built with Express
• MVC architecture with controllers, models, and routes
• Middleware for authentication, error handling, and request validation
• Robust error handling and logging

Data Flow

1. User interactions trigger API requests from the client
2. Server authenticates and validates requests
3. Controllers process business logic and interact with database models
4. Responses are formatted and returned to the client
5. Task scheduler monitors for notes due for delivery
6. Email service sends notifications when notes are delivered

🚀 Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16+)
• MongoDB (Atlas account)
• npm or yarn
• Google OAuth API credentials (for Google authentication)
• Cloudinary account (for media storage)

Setup Steps

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/legacynote.git
   cd legacynote

2. Server Setup

   cd server
   npm install
   cp .env.example .env
   # Edit .env with your configuration

3. Client Setup

   cd ../client
   npm install

4. Database Setup

   • Create a MongoDB Atlas account and cluster
   • Update MONGODB_URI in server/.env with your connection string

5. Start Development Environment

   # Start the server (from server directory)
   npm run dev
   
   # Start the client (from client directory)
   npm run dev

📝 Usage

Development Environment

Run Backend Only

cd server
npm run dev

The server will start on http://localhost:5000 with nodemon for auto-reloading.

Run Frontend Only

cd client
npm run dev

The development server will start on http://localhost:5173 with hot module replacement.

Scheduler Status

When the server starts, the note delivery scheduler will initialize and display:

[SCHEDULER] INFO: Note Delivery Scheduler running...
[SCHEDULER] INFO: Scheduled note delivery checks every minute

This indicates the background process is properly monitoring the database for notes that need to be delivered.

Key Application Workflows

1. User Registration & Authentication

   • Register with email and password or Google OAuth
   • Verify email with OTP
   • Login to access dashboard

2. Creating a Time Capsule Note

   • Fill in recipient details, delivery date, and content
   • Attach media files if desired
   • Select public/private status
   • Submit and confirm scheduling

3. Managing Notes

   • View all notes from dashboard
   • Edit or delete notes before delivery date
   • Generate shareable links for public notes
   • Track delivery status

4. Note Delivery Process

   • System monitors for notes reaching delivery date
   • Recipient receives email notification
   • Recipient can access note via secure link
   • Original creator can see delivery confirmation

🌐 Deployment

Current Deployment Configuration

Our application is hosted using the following services:

1. MongoDB Atlas for database hosting

   • Provides robust cloud database storage
   • Automatic backups and scaling
   • Global distribution for reduced latency

2. Backend Hosting on Render

   • Node.js application hosted on Render's web service
   • Automatic deployments from GitHub repository
   • Built-in SSL/TLS certificates and HTTPS support
   • Horizontal scaling capabilities as needed

3. Frontend Hosting on Vercel

   • React application deployed on Vercel's platform
   • Automatic deployments from GitHub repository
   • Global CDN for fast content delivery
   • Built-in analytics and performance monitoring

Environment Configuration

• Set NODE_ENV=production in Render environment settings
• Configure all environment variables in Render dashboard
• Set secure MongoDB connection string with network restrictions
• Add CORS configuration to allow requests from Vercel domain

Build & Deploy

Render Backend Deployment

• Connect your GitHub repository to Render
• Configure as a Web Service with Node.js runtime
• Set build command: npm install
• Set start command: npm start
• Add all environment variables in the Render dashboard

Vercel Frontend Deployment

• Connect your GitHub repository to Vercel
• Configure as a Vite/React project
• Add vercel.json to handle client-side routing:

  {
    "rewrites": [
      { "source": "/(.*)", "destination": "/index.html" }
    ]
  }

• Add environment variables in the Vercel dashboard

⚙️ Environment Variables

Server Variables

Variable	Description	Example
PORT	Server port	5000
NODE_ENV	Environment	production
MONGODB_URI	MongoDB connection	mongodb+srv://user:pass@cluster.mongodb.net/legacynote
JWT_SECRET	JWT signing secret	your-secret-key
JWT_EXPIRE	JWT expiration	30d
EMAIL_USERNAME	SMTP email	your-email@gmail.com
EMAIL_PASSWORD	SMTP password	your-app-password
FRONTEND_URL	Client URL	https://yourdomain.com
ENCRYPTION_KEY	Encryption key	your-encryption-key
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME	Cloudinary name	your-cloud-name
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY	Cloudinary key	your-api-key
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET	Cloudinary secret	your-api-secret
CLOUDINARY_UPLOAD_FOLDER	Cloudinary folder	legacy_note_uploads

Client Variables

Variable	Description	Example
VITE_API_URL	Backend API URL	https://api.yourdomain.com/api
VITE_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID	Google OAuth ID	your-google-client-id.apps.googleusercontent.com

🔒 Security Features

• Data Encryption: All note content is encrypted with AES-256
• Password Hashing: bcrypt with salt rounds for secure password storage
• JWT Authentication: Short-lived tokens with refresh mechanism
• CSRF Protection: Token validation for cross-site request forgery protection
• XSS Prevention: Content Security Policy via Helmet
• Email Verification: Required for account security
• Secure File Handling: Validation and sanitization of uploaded files
• Cloudinary Secure URLs: HTTPS-only media delivery

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Made with ❤️ by the LegacyNote Team