AltSchool Africa Todo Application

Backend Engineering Submission -- AltSchool Africa

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📌 Project Description

This Todo Application is a full-stack backend-driven task management system built with Node.js, Express, MongoDB, and EJS templating.

The application demonstrates core backend engineering concepts including:

• Session-based authentication and authorization
• Secure password hashing using bcrypt
• RESTful routing principles
• MVC architectural structure
• MongoDB schema design with Mongoose
• Task filtering and state management
• Production-ready deployment configuration

Users can register, login, create tasks, edit them, mark them as completed, soft-delete them, and permanently remove deleted tasks. The system enforces proper access control, ensuring users can only manage their own tasks.

The project was developed to meet AltSchool Backend Engineering requirements and follows clean, modular coding standards.

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🚀 Live Deployment

Live URL: https://altschool-todo-app-ha1p.onrender.com (Update with your deployed link)

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🛠 Tech Stack

• Node.js
• Express.js
• MongoDB Atlas
• Mongoose ODM
• express-session
• bcryptjs
• EJS
• Bootstrap 5
• Morgan
• dotenv
• Render (Deployment)

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📁 Project Structure

altschool-todo-app/
├── models/          
├── views/           
│   ├── auth/        
│   ├── partials/    
│   ├── dashboard.ejs
│   └── edit-task.ejs
├── routes/          
├── middleware/      
├── public/          
│   ├── css/style.css
│   └── js/app.js
├── scripts/         
├── .env.example     
├── .gitignore
├── index.js         
├── package.json
└── README.md

The application follows MVC principles for maintainability and scalability.

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🔐 Authentication & Authorization

• Session-based authentication using express-session
• Password hashing using bcrypt
• Protected dashboard and task routes
• Users can only access and modify their own tasks

Session secret is stored securely in environment variables.

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📬 Application Routes Summary

Authentication Routes

Method	Route	Description
GET	/login	Login page
POST	/login	Authenticate user
GET	/register	Registration page
POST	/register	Create new user
GET	/logout	Logout user

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Task Routes (Protected)

Method	Route	Description
GET	/dashboard	User dashboard
POST	/tasks	Create new task
POST	/tasks/:id/status	Update task status
GET	/tasks/:id/edit	Edit task form
POST	/tasks/:id/edit	Update task
POST	/tasks/:id/delete	Permanently delete task

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🗄️ Database Schema

User Schema

• username (unique, required)
• password (hashed, required)
• timestamps

Task Schema

• title (required)
• description (optional)
• status (pending, completed, deleted)
• priority (low, medium, high)
• user (reference to User)
• timestamps

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🧪 Testing

Testing was conducted using:

• Manual testing via browser
• Health check endpoint
• Session debugging endpoint
• Jest and Supertest (where implemented)

Test Command:

npm test

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🌍 Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Description
PORT	Yes	Server port
MONGODB_URI	Yes	MongoDB connection string
SESSION_SECRET	Yes	Session encryption key
NODE_ENV	No	Environment type

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🚀 Deployment Instructions (Render)

1. Push code to GitHub
2. Create new Web Service on Render
3. Set:
   • Build Command: npm install
   • Start Command: npm start
4. Add environment variables
5. Deploy

Ensure MongoDB Atlas IP whitelist includes 0.0.0.0/0 for Render access.

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🧪 Postman / Testing Guide

Although this is a server-rendered app, routes can be tested using Postman for:

• Login (POST)
• Register (POST)
• Task creation (POST)
• Status updates

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✅ AltSchool Requirement Alignment

✔ Session-based authentication
✔ Password hashing
✔ CRUD functionality
✔ Soft delete implementation
✔ Task filtering by status
✔ Priority levels
✔ Protected routes
✔ Environment configuration
✔ Deployment-ready setup
✔ MVC structure

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📄 License

This project was created for educational purposes as part of the AltSchool Africa Backend Engineering program.

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👨‍💻 Author

George Owoicho
AltSchool Africa Backend Engineering Student
GitHub: https://github.com/devGeorgeOwi/altschool-todo-app