🚀 AlgoCrack Backend

AlgoCrack Backend is the server-side API powering the AlgoCrack full-stack coding platform.
It handles user authentication, role-based access, problem management, code submission tracking, and real-time code execution integration.

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📌 Features

• Authentication & Authorization

  • Secure JWT-based authentication with token expiry.
  • Role-based access control (RBAC) for Admin and User roles.

• Code Execution

  • Judge0 API integration for real-time, multi-language code execution.

• User Management

  • User registration, login, and profiles.
  • Profile & cover image uploads via Cloudinary.

• Submissions Tracking

  • Store and retrieve code submissions for progress tracking.

• Admin Controls

  • Add, edit, delete coding problems.
  • View user activity and submissions statistics.

• Security Best Practices

  • Password hashing using bcrypt.
  • Input validations & secure file uploads.

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🛠 Tech Stack

Technology	Purpose
Node.js	Backend runtime
Express.js	Web framework
MongoDB	Database
Mongoose	ODM for MongoDB
JWT	Authentication
Bcrypt	Password hashing
Cloudinary	Image upload/storage
Judge0 API	Code execution
Multer	File upload handling
Dotenv	Environment variables
Cors	Cross-origin resource sharing

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📂 Project Structure

backend/
│
├── controllers/ # Route handlers (Auth, User, Problems, Submissions)
├── models/ # Mongoose schemas
├── routes/ # API route definitions
├── middleware/ # Auth & role-check middleware
├── utils/ # Helper functions (Cloudinary, API clients)
├── config/ # Database & external API configs
├── server.js # Main entry point
└── package.json

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⚙️ Installation & Setup

1️⃣ Clone Repository

git clone cd backend

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2️⃣ Install Dependencies

npm install

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3️⃣ Configure Environment Variables

Create a `.env` file in the `backend/` folder:

PORT=5000
MONGODB_URI=<Your MongoDB Connection String>
JWT_SECRET=<Your JWT Secret Key>
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=<Your Cloudinary Cloud Name>
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=<Your Cloudinary API Key>
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=<Your Cloudinary API Secret>
JUDGE0_API_URL=https://judge0-ce.p.rapidapi.com/submissions
JUDGE0_API_KEY=<Your Judge0 API Key>

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4️⃣ Start Development Server

npm run dev

text Server will run on: http://localhost:5000

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🔌 API Endpoints Overview

Auth Routes

Method	Endpoint	Access	Description
POST	/api/auth/register	Public	Register new user
POST	/api/auth/login	Public	Login & return JWT token
GET	/api/auth/me	Private	Get logged-in user details

User Routes

Method	Endpoint	Access	Description
GET	/api/users/:id	Private	Fetch specific user profile
PUT	/api/users/profile	Private	Update profile & upload image

Problem Routes (Admin Only)

Method	Endpoint	Access	Description
GET	/api/problems	Public	Fetch all coding problems
POST	/api/problems	Admin	Create new problem
PUT	/api/problems/:id	Admin	Update problem
DELETE	/api/problems/:id	Admin	Delete problem

Submission Routes

Method	Endpoint	Access	Description
POST	/api/submissions	Private	Submit code for execution
GET	/api/submissions/user/:id	Private	Fetch user’s submissions

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🔗 Postman API Testing Link

👉 Click here to access the AlgoCrack Backend Postman Collection

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🔐 Security Considerations

• Passwords hashed with bcrypt before storage.
• JWT tokens signed with secret key and expiration.
• All sensitive routes protected with authentication middleware.
• File uploads validated before sending to Cloudinary.
• Sensitive credentials stored in .env (never committed).

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🚀 Deployment

• Backend Hosting: Render
• Database: MongoDB Atlas
• Set environment variables in hosting platform before deployment.

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👤 Author

Ankur Mukherjee
LinkedIn | Portfolio

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📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License – see the LICENSE file for details.