🧩 TaskForge – Trello-Style Project Management Backend

🚀 TaskForge — A Trello-style collaborative task management app with real-time updates, drag-and-drop lists, and persistent cards.
🌐 Live Frontend | 📘 Backend Swagger Docs

Live Backend: https://taskforge-backend-jjdh.onrender.com
Swagger API Docs: https://taskforge-backend-jjdh.onrender.com/api/docs

TaskForge is a production-ready Trello-style backend built using the MERN stack architecture.
It powers the frontend app by providing APIs for managing boards, lists, cards, members, notifications, and real-time collaboration, all secured with JWT authentication and Socket.io for live updates.

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🏗️ Tech Stack

Layer	Technology
Backend Framework	Node.js, Express.js
Database	MongoDB (Mongoose ODM)
Authentication	JWT (JSON Web Tokens)
Real-Time Communication	Socket.io
File Storage	Cloudinary
Documentation	Swagger UI
Security	bcrypt.js, Helmet, CORS
Other Tools	Nodemon, dotenv, ESLint

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⚙️ Core Features

✅ Board Management – Create, edit, and share boards with team members
✅ List & Card System – Add lists and drag-and-drop cards within boards
✅ User Authentication – JWT-secured login and registration
✅ Real-Time Updates – Sync changes instantly via Socket.io
✅ Activity Logs – Track card creation, updates, and deletions
✅ Notifications System – Real-time board and card updates
✅ File Uploads – Cloudinary-based attachment handling
✅ Pagination & Search – Optimized endpoints with query filters
✅ Dynamic CORS – Auto-switch between dev and prod environments
✅ Modular Structure – Cleanly organized controllers, routes & middleware

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🧱 Project Architecture

src/
┣ controllers/     → Route logic (auth, boards, lists, cards, etc.)
┣ models/          → MongoDB schemas (User, Board, Card, etc.)
┣ routes/          → Express routes grouped by feature
┣ middleware/      → JWT protection, error handling
┣ utils/           → Helpers (Cloudinary, pagination)
┣ config/          → Swagger config, DB connection
┣ app.js           → Core express configuration (CORS, routes)
┗ server.js        → Socket.io setup and server startup

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📡 API Overview

🔐 Auth Routes

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/auth/register	Register new user
POST	/api/auth/login	Login user and return JWT

🧩 Board Routes

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/boards	Fetch all boards
POST	/api/boards	Create new board
GET	/api/boards/:id	Fetch board with lists and cards
PUT	/api/boards/:id/members	Add member to board

🗂️ List Routes

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/lists	Create new list
PUT	/api/lists/:id	Update list title/order
DELETE	/api/lists/:id	Delete list

🗃️ Card Routes

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/cards	Create new card
PUT	/api/cards/:id	Update card details
PATCH	/api/cards/:id/move	Move card between lists
DELETE	/api/cards/:id	Delete card
PUT	/api/cards/:id/attachments	Update/remove attachments

🔔 Notification Routes

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/notifications	Fetch all notifications
PUT	/api/notifications/:id/read	Mark as read

🕒 Activity Routes

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/activities/:boardId	Fetch board activity logs

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⚙️ Setup & Installation

1️⃣ Clone Repository

git clone https://github.com/Bhupesh-aher/TaskForge-Backend.git
cd TaskForge-Backend

2️⃣ Install Dependencies

npm install

3️⃣ Configure Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the project root:

# Environment
NODE_ENV=development
PORT=5000

# Database
MONGO_URI_DEV=your-local-mongo-uri
MONGO_URI_PROD=your-production-mongo-uri

# JWT Secret
JWT_SECRET=your-jwt-secret

# Cloudinary
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your-cloud-name
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your-api-key
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your-api-secret

# Client URLs
CLIENT_URL_DEV=http://localhost:5173
CLIENT_URL_PROD=https://task-forge-frontend.vercel.app

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4️⃣ Run the App

Development Mode

npm run dev

Runs with NODE_ENV=development, connecting to local DB & frontend.

Production (Render)

Render automatically sets:

NODE_ENV=production

Connects to hosted DB and live frontend.

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☁️ Deployment

Service	Description
Backend Hosting	Render
Frontend Hosting	Vercel
Database	MongoDB Atlas
Media Storage	Cloudinary

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📘 Swagger API Docs

Access all endpoints directly at: 👉 https://taskforge-backend-jjdh.onrender.com/api/docs

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🧠 Developer Notes

• Dynamic environment switching via NODE_ENV
• CORS configured for both local and production
• Socket.io integrated for real-time updates
• Modular structure for easy scaling

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🏷️ License

MIT License © 2025 [Bhupesh Aher]