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Getting Started

This guide reflects the current DayKeeper API runtime. The server is built with Node.js, Express, MongoDB sessions, optional Redis workers, and external integrations like AWS, Google auth, and email delivery.

1. Clone the API repository​

git clone https://github.com/luciano655dev/daykeeper-api.git
cd daykeeper-api

2. Install dependencies​

npm install

3. Create the environment file​

Create a .env file in the project root.

Required to boot the API​

These values are required by the current server startup:

MONGODB_URI=mongodb+srv://<user>:<password>@<cluster>/<database>
SESSION_SECRET=your-session-secret
PORT=3000

These settings help when you run the API with a frontend locally:

NODE_ENV=development
CORS_ORIGINS=http://localhost:3000,http://localhost:3001,http://localhost:3002
CORS_ALLOW_ALL=false
WORKER_ENABLED=false
JOBS_ENABLED=false

App and integration settings​

Add these when you need the related features:

SECRET=your-app-secret

EMAIL_SERVICE=
EMAIL_HOST=
EMAIL_PORT=
EMAIL_USER=
EMAIL_PASS=
EMAIL_SECRET=

BUCKET_NAME=
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=
AWS_DEFAULT_REGION=us-east-1
SNS_TOPIC_ARN=
REKOG_ROLE_ARN=

GIPHY_API_KEY=

GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=
GOOGLE_API_KEY=

REDIS_URL=redis://127.0.0.1:6379

CLOUDFRONT_DOMAIN=
CLOUDFRONT_PUBLIC_KEY_ID=
CLOUDFRONT_PRIVATE_KEY_PEM=
CLOUDFRONT_SIGN_TTL_SECONDS=

DEFAULT_PFP_KEY=public/DaykeeperPFP.png
DEFAULT_PFP_URL=
DEFAULT_PFP_TITLE=DaykeeperPFP.png
DAYKEEPER_LOGO_URL=
LEGACY_BUCKET_NAME=daykeeper

4. Optional services​

Redis​

Redis is only needed if you want moderation queues or background workers.

REDIS_URL=redis://127.0.0.1:6379
WORKER_ENABLED=true
JOBS_ENABLED=true

If you only want to run the HTTP API locally, leave both flags as false.

Firebase notifications​

The project imports firebase-admin for push notifications. If you use mobile notifications, configure Firebase Admin credentials in the API runtime before using notification flows.

AWS media and moderation​

AWS credentials are needed for S3-backed media storage and any Rekognition/SNS-based workflows.

Google auth​

Google login requires GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID and GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET.

Email flows​

Password reset, verification, and moderation email flows require the mail-related environment variables.

5. Start the server​

For development:

npm run dev

For a normal Node start:

npm start

6. Verify the API is running​

When the server starts successfully, it listens on the configured port and exposes a health route:

curl http://localhost:3000/ping

Expected response:

PONG

7. Optional Redis process​

If you want to run the queue process separately:

npm run start:redis

Notes​

  • The API will fail on startup if MONGODB_URI or SESSION_SECRET is missing.
  • If CORS_ORIGINS is empty, the server defaults to allowing https://daykeeper.app and https://www.daykeeper.app.
  • In production, session cookies use secure cross-site settings automatically.