Backend

Table of contents

Getting started

The backend of the Junqo-platform is a NestJs application. Its main goal is to provide a REST API that enables efficient and flexible database interactions.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following software installed:

Installation

  1. Clone the repository:

     git clone https://github.com/Junqo-org/junqo-platform.git
 cd junqo-platform

  2. Navigate to the backend directory:

     cd junqo_back

  3. Install the dependencies:

     npm install

Configuration

To configure the backend, you can use environment variables, .env files in the junqo_back directory or configuration files. If an environment variable is not found, the default value will be used.

Here is the list of environment variables used by the backend:

  • DATABASE_HOST: The host of the database. Default value is localhost.
  • DATABASE_PORT: The port of the database. Default value is 5432.
  • DATABASE_USER: The user of the database. Default value is junqo.
  • DATABASE_NAME: The name of the database. Default value is junqo.
  • DATABASE_PASSWORD: The password of the database. Optional, if set, used in priority to DATABASE_PASSWORD_FILE.
  • DATABASE_PASSWORD_FILE: The path to the file containing the password of the database user. Default value is ./../db_password.conf.
  • JWT_SECRET: The secret used to sign the JWT tokens. Required.
  • CORS_ORIGINS: The URL of the frontend used for CORS. If not set accept requests from every origin.
  • NODE_ENV: The environment of the backend. Either development or production.

  1. Create a .env file in the backend directory and add the following environment variables:

     # Database Configuration
 # DATABASE_HOST=localhost
 # DATABASE_PORT=5432
 # DATABASE_NAME=your_db_name
 # DATABASE_USER=your_db_user
 # DATABASE_PASSWORD=your_db_password
 DATABASE_PASSWORD_FILE=/run/secrets/db_password

 # Security Configuration
 JWT_SECRET=not_for_production  # Use a strong, unique value in production
 # Minimum 32 characters, randomly generated
 # Example: openssl rand -base64 32
 # CORS Configuration (authorized source url). Default accept requests from every origin.
 # CORS_ORIGINS="http://localhost:80"

  2. Ensure PostgreSQL is running and the database is set up with the provided credentials.

Running the Application

  • To start the application in development mode:

    npm run start:dev

  • To start the application in production mode:

    npm run start:prod

Basic Usage

Once the application is running, you can access the API at http://localhost:3000/api/v1. For detailed API documentation, refer to the API documentation.

Messaging System Architecture

The messaging system in Junqo platform consists of two main components:\

  • REST API endpoints for CRUD operations
  • WebSocket connections for real-time interactions

Message Flow Diagram 

sequenceDiagram
    participant Client
    participant ConversationsController
    participant MessagesController
    participant MessagesGateway
    participant ConversationsService
    participant MessagesService
    participant Database

    %% Creating a conversation
    Client->>ConversationsController: POST /conversations (CreateConversationDTO)
    ConversationsController->>ConversationsService: create()
    ConversationsService->>Database: Save conversation
    Database-->>ConversationsService: Conversation created
    ConversationsService-->>ConversationsController: ConversationDTO
    ConversationsController-->>Client: ConversationDTO

    %% Getting conversations
    Client->>ConversationsController: GET /conversations?query
    ConversationsController->>ConversationsService: findByQuery()
    ConversationsService->>Database: Query conversations
    Database-->>ConversationsService: Conversations data
    ConversationsService-->>ConversationsController: ConversationQueryOutputDTO
    ConversationsController-->>Client: ConversationQueryOutputDTO

    %% WebSocket connection
    Client->>MessagesGateway: Connect (with auth token)
    MessagesGateway-->>Client: Connection established

    %% Joining a conversation room
    Client->>MessagesGateway: Event: joinRoom (conversationId)
    MessagesGateway->>MessagesGateway: Add to room
    MessagesGateway-->>Client: Event: joinRoomSuccess
    MessagesGateway-->>Client: Event: userJoinRoom (broadcast)

    %% Sending messages - WebSocket (real-time)
    Client->>MessagesGateway: Event: sendMessage (CreateMessageDTO)
    MessagesGateway->>MessagesService: create()
    MessagesService->>Database: Save message
    Database-->>MessagesService: Message saved
    MessagesService-->>MessagesGateway: MessageDTO
    MessagesGateway-->>Client: Event: receiveMessage (broadcast to room)

    %% Sending messages - REST API (alternative)
    Client->>ConversationsController: POST /conversations/:id/messages (CreateMessageDTO)
    ConversationsController->>MessagesService: create()
    MessagesService->>Database: Save message
    Database-->>MessagesService: Message saved
    MessagesService-->>ConversationsController: MessageDTO
    ConversationsController-->>Client: MessageDTO

    %% Getting messages history
    Client->>MessagesGateway: Event: getMessageHistory (conversationId, limit, before)
    MessagesGateway->>MessagesService: findAll()
    MessagesService->>Database: Query messages
    Database-->>MessagesService: Messages data
    MessagesService-->>MessagesGateway: Messages[]
    MessagesGateway-->>Client: Event: messageHistory

    %% Getting messages history - REST API (alternative)
    Client->>ConversationsController: GET /conversations/:id/messages?query
    ConversationsController->>MessagesService: findByConversationId()
    MessagesService->>Database: Query messages
    Database-->>MessagesService: Messages data
    MessagesService-->>ConversationsController: MessageQueryOutputDTO
    ConversationsController-->>Client: MessageQueryOutputDTO

    %% Typing indicators
    Client->>MessagesGateway: Event: startTyping (conversationId)
    MessagesGateway-->>Client: Event: userTyping (broadcast to room)
    Client->>MessagesGateway: Event: stopTyping (conversationId)
    MessagesGateway-->>Client: Event: userStoppedTyping (broadcast to room)

    %% Leaving a conversation room
    Client->>MessagesGateway: Event: leaveRoom (conversationId)
    MessagesGateway->>MessagesGateway: Remove from room
    MessagesGateway-->>Client: Event: leaveRoomSuccess
    MessagesGateway-->>Client: Event: userLeaveRoom (broadcast)

    %% WebSocket disconnection
    Client->>MessagesGateway: Disconnect
    MessagesGateway->>MessagesGateway: Update user status
    MessagesGateway-->>Client: Event: userStatus (broadcast)

Conversation Management Flow 

flowchart TD
    A[Start] --> B{Has existing conversation?}
    B -->|No| C[Create conversation]
    B -->|Yes| D[Open conversation]

    C --> E[Add participants]
    D --> F{View messages}

    F --> G[Send new message]
    F --> H[View message history]

    G --> I{Real-time?}
    I -->|Yes| J[Use WebSocket]
    I -->|No| K[Use REST API]

    J --> L[Event: sendMessage]
    K --> M[POST /conversations/:id/messages]

    E --> N[Set custom title]
    N --> D

    G --> O[Show typing indicators]
    O --> P[Event: startTyping]
    P --> Q[Event: stopTyping]
    Q --> G

    H --> R[Mark messages as read]
    R --> S[Event: markMessageRead]

    D --> T[Manage participants]
    T --> U[Add participants]
    T --> V[Remove participants]

    U --> D
    V --> D

    D --> W[Delete conversation]
    W --> X[End]

Socket.IO Authentication Middleware

Usage 

const socket = io('http://localhost:3000', {
  auth: {
    token: 'your-jwt-token-here'
  }
});

Option 2: Query Parameters 

const socket = io('http://localhost:3000', {
  query: {
    token: 'your-jwt-token-here'
  }
});

Option 3: Authorization Header 

const socket = io('http://localhost:3000', {
  extraHeaders: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer your-jwt-token-here'
  }
});

Error Handling

The middleware provides detailed error messages:

  • Authentication failed - token missing: No token found in any location
  • Authentication failed - invalid token payload: Token decoded but missing required fields
  • Authentication failed - invalid token: Token verification failed (expired, malformed, etc.)

Technologies

  • NestJs
    • It is a progressive Node.js framework for building efficient, reliable, and scalable server-side applications.
  • PostgreSQL
    • It is a powerful, open-source object-relational database system.
  • Sequelize
    • It is a promise-based Node.js ORM for Postgres, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, and Microsoft SQL Server.
  • Express
    • It is a fast, unopinionated, minimalist web framework for Node.js.
  • Socket.IO
    • It is a library that enables real-time, bidirectional and event-based communication between the browser and the server.