CollabBlog: The Collaborative Writing Platform

Overview

CollabBlog is an innovative blogging platform designed to foster teamwork and collective creativity. Unlike traditional blogging sites, CollabBlog requires a minimum of two authors for every post, ensuring diverse perspectives and richer content.

Local Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v20.11.0 or later, but less than v21.0.0)
• VS Code (v1.22.0 or later) recommended
• MongoDB

Steps

1. Clone the repository:

       git clone https://github.com/OVECJOE/collablog.git
       cd collablog

2. Set up environment variables: Copy the *.env.example file to a new file named *.env for the client and server directories respectively. Update the values in the new files as needed.

3. Install all dependencies (server and client):

       npm run install-all

4. Start the server and client concurrently:

       npx concurrently "npm run start:server" "npm run start:client"

5. Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:5173 to view the application.

Additional npm Scripts

• Run all tests (server and client): npm test
• Format code: npm run format
• Update dependencies to their latest versions: npm run install-update

Development

This project uses nodemon for auto-reloading during development. The server will automatically restart when you make changes to the backend code.

VS Code Integration

This project is optimized for development in Visual Studio Code. Make sure you're using VS Code version 1.22.0 or later for the best development experience.

Decisions Made

• Frontend: React, React-Router, TailwindCSS and MantineUI for the frontend. I had to choose these technologies to quickly build the frontend and make it responsive.

• Backend: Node.js, Express, and MongoDB for the backend.

I struggled mostly with the frontend part of the project. I believed I should have stick to a simpler and straightforward UI since I am being tested for React and Node.js skills, not UI/UX design, but I couldn't resist the temptation to make it look good enough.

Though I couldn't finish the project, especially the frontend part due to time constraints, I believe that what I have implemented so far is good enough to showcase my skills and experience. I hope you like it.

Thank you for the opportunity.