setup-backend.sh

Automates the complete backend setup process.

Purpose

Sets up the backend Node.js environment by installing dependencies, creating configuration files, and building the TypeScript source code.

Location

Must be run from the scripts/ directory:

cd scripts
./setup-backend.sh

What It Does

1. Validates Node.js installation - Checks for Node.js 18+ and npm
2. Installs dependencies - Runs npm install in the backend directory
3. Creates .env file - Copies from .env.example or creates a template
4. Builds TypeScript - Compiles source to backend/dist/

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18.x or higher
• npm 9.x or higher

Output

On success, displays:

✓ Node.js vX.X.X found
✓ npm vX.X.X found
✓ Dependencies installed successfully
✓ Created .env from .env.example
✓ Build successful

Backend Setup Complete!

Next Steps

After running this script:

1. Edit backend/.env and add your OpenAI API key:

   OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...your-key...

2. (Optional) Set up Firebase:

   • Download serviceAccountKey.json from Firebase Console
   • Place in backend/ directory

3. Start the backend:

   ./start-backend.sh
   # or
   ./start-dev.sh  # starts both backend and frontend

Environment Variables

The script creates a .env file with these defaults:

Variable	Default	Required
OPENAI_API_KEY	your_openai_api_key_here	Yes
AI_PROVIDER	openai	Yes
AI_MODEL	gpt-4-turbo-preview	Yes
PORT	3000	Yes
NODE_ENV	development	Yes
FIREBASE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_PATH	serviceAccountKey.json	No
ALLOWED_ORIGINS	http://localhost:*,http://127.0.0.1:*	Yes
LOG_LEVEL	info	Yes

Troubleshooting

Node.js not found

# Install Node.js 18+
# Visit https://nodejs.org/

npm install fails

cd backend
npm cache clean --force
rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
npm install

Build fails

cd backend
npm install -D typescript
npm run build

Source Code

Located at: scripts/setup-backend.sh

Key features:

• Color-coded output (green=success, red=error, yellow=warning)
• Automatic error exit (set -e)
• Prerequisite validation
• Idempotent (safe to re-run)