SkillCert Backend Server

A NestJS REST API that manages the off-chain metadata for the SkillCert platform — including users, courses, modules, lessons, enrollments, quizzes, and reviews. It uses PostgreSQL via TypeORM and is designed to work alongside the SkillCert frontend.

---

Prerequisites

Make sure the following are installed on your machine before proceeding:

Tool	Version	Install
Node.js	>= 18.x	https://nodejs.org
npm	>= 9.x	Comes with Node.js
PostgreSQL	>= 14.x	https://www.postgresql.org/download
Git	any	https://git-scm.com

---

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/<your-org>/skillcert-backend-server.git
cd skillcert-backend-server

---

2. Install Dependencies

npm install

---

3. Set Up Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the project root by copying the example below:

cp .env.example .env   # if an example exists, otherwise create it manually

Then open .env and fill in your values:

# Application
NODE_ENV=development

# Database (PostgreSQL)
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=5432
DB_USERNAME=your_db_user
DB_PASSWORD=your_db_password
DB_DATABASE=skillcert

Note: When NODE_ENV is not production, TypeORM will auto-synchronize the database schema on startup (synchronize: true). Never use this in production — use migrations instead.

---

4. Create the Database

Log into PostgreSQL and create the database:

psql -U your_db_user -c "CREATE DATABASE skillcert;"

Or use a GUI tool like pgAdmin or TablePlus.

---

5. Run the Server

Development mode (auto-reloads on file changes):

npm run start:dev

Standard start:

npm run start

Production mode (requires a build first):

npm run build
npm run start:prod

The server will be available at http://localhost:3000 by default.

---

6. API Documentation (Swagger)

Once the server is running, open your browser and navigate to:

http://localhost:3000/api

This displays the full interactive Swagger UI with all available endpoints.

---

Available Scripts

Command	Description
npm run start	Start the server
npm run start:dev	Start in watch mode (development)
npm run start:debug	Start with debugger attached
npm run start:prod	Start compiled production build
npm run build	Compile TypeScript to dist/
npm run lint	Run ESLint and auto-fix issues
npm run format	Format code with Prettier
npm run test	Run unit tests
npm run test:watch	Run tests in watch mode
npm run test:cov	Run tests with coverage report
npm run test:e2e	Run end-to-end tests

---

Project Structure

src/
├── users/            # User accounts and roles
├── courses/          # Course metadata
├── modules/          # Course modules (sections)
├── lessons/          # Individual lessons within modules
├── enrollment/       # User-course enrollment records
├── quiz/             # Quizzes and questions tied to lessons
├── reviews/          # Course reviews and ratings
├── categories/       # Course categories
├── objectives/       # Learning objectives per course
├── course-progress/  # Tracks lesson completion per enrollment
├── references/       # External reference links for lessons
├── lesson-resources/ # File/media resources for lessons
├── common/           # Shared utilities, guards, decorators
├── config/           # Database and app configuration
└── health/           # Health check endpoint

For a full explanation of how these entities relate to each other, see docs/data.md.

---

Environment Variable Reference

Variable	Required	Default	Description
NODE_ENV	No	development	App environment. Set to production to disable auto-sync
DB_HOST	Yes	—	PostgreSQL host
DB_PORT	Yes	5432	PostgreSQL port
DB_USERNAME	Yes	—	Database user
DB_PASSWORD	Yes	—	Database password
DB_DATABASE	Yes	—	Database name