Getting Started

This guide walks you through setting up the Smart Library Management System (SLMS) for local development.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following installed:

Node.js v18 or later (LTS recommended)
npm v9 or later
Git
MongoDB Atlas account (or a local MongoDB server)

1. Clone the Repository

git clone <repository-url>
cd slms-project

2. Backend Setup

Navigate to the backend directory:

cd backend

Install Dependencies

npm install

Configure Environment Variables

Create a .env file inside the backend folder.

PORT=5000
DATABASE_URL=mongodb+srv://<username>:<password>@<cluster>.mongodb.net/<database>
JWT_SECRET=your_secret_key_here
SMTP_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USER=your_email@gmail.com
SMTP_PASS=your_app_password

Variable	Description
`PORT`	Express server port
`DATABASE_URL`	MongoDB Atlas or local MongoDB connection string
`JWT_SECRET`	Secret used for signing JWT tokens
`SMTP_HOST`	SMTP server hostname
`SMTP_PORT`	SMTP server port
`SMTP_USER`	Email account used to send notifications
`SMTP_PASS`	App password for SMTP authentication

Start the Backend

Development mode:

npm run dev

Production mode:

npm start

Backend API:

http://localhost:5000

Health Check:

curl http://localhost:5000/health

Expected response:

{
  "status": "ok",
  "message": "SLMS API is running"
}

3. Frontend Setup

Navigate to the frontend directory:

cd frontend

Install Dependencies

npm install

Configure Environment Variables

Create a .env.local file inside the frontend folder.

NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=http://localhost:5000/api/v1

Start the Development Server

npm run dev

Frontend URL:

http://localhost:3000

4. Initial Application Setup

When starting with an empty database:

Open:

http://localhost:3000/setup

Enter the Super Admin details:

First Name
Last Name
Email
Contact Number
Password

Click Complete Setup.

The application will:

Create the first administrator account.
Assign the ROLE_ADMIN role.
Log you in automatically.
Redirect you to:

/admin/overview

Note

The setup endpoint can only be used once. If an administrator already exists, the API returns 403 Forbidden.

5. Documentation Site

Navigate to the documentation project:

cd docs

Install dependencies:

npm install

Start the documentation server:

npm run dev

Documentation URL:

http://localhost:3000

(If port 3000 is already in use, Next.js will automatically use the next available port.)

Project Structure

slms-project/
│
├── backend/
│   ├── server.js
│   ├── package.json
│   ├── models/
│   ├── controllers/
│   ├── routes/
│   ├── middleware/
│   ├── utils/
│   └── src/
│
├── frontend/
│   ├── package.json
│   └── src/
│       ├── app/
│       ├── components/
│       ├── context/
│       ├── hooks/
│       └── lib/
│
└── docs/
    ├── content/
    │   └── docs/
    └── package.json