Garden Almanac

Garden Almanac is a full-stack project consisting of a React frontend (almanac-client) and a Node/Express backend (almanac-server) powered by MongoDB. It helps track plants, categories, events, and seasonal tips — with extras like Unsplash image integration and email-based authentication.

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Project Structure

• almanac-client → React frontend
• almanac-server → Express + MongoDB backend
• almanac-shared → Shared constants and helpers (password rules, validation, etc.)

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Features

• 🌱 JWT-based authentication (signup with email activation, login, forgot/reset password)
• 🌦 Climate zone lookup (future: weather forecast proxy)
• 🗓 Event and plant management with categories
• 📷 Unsplash proxy endpoint (safe keys, cache-friendly)
• 📧 Email delivery with Nodemailer (App Password or SMTP)
• 🔒 Validators, CORS, and logger utility for cleaner DX

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Stack

• Frontend: React (Vite), Axios, TailwindCSS
• Backend: Node.js 18+, Express, MongoDB (Mongoose), JWT, Nodemailer
• Shared: npm package @daidensacha/almanac-shared

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Quick Start

Server

cd almanac-server
npm install
cp .env.example .env
npm start

Requirements:

• Node.js 18+
• MongoDB (local or Atlas cluster)
• Gmail App Password (or SMTP credentials)

Client

cd almanac-client
npm install
npm start

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Environment Variables (Server)

# App
PORT=8000
NODE_ENV=development
CLIENT_URL=http://localhost:3000

# Database
DATABASE_URL=mongodb://127.0.0.1:27017/garden_almanac

# JWT
JWT_SECRET=super_secret_for_auth_tokens
JWT_ACCOUNT_ACTIVATION=activation_secret_for_signup

# Email
EMAIL_FROM=[email protected]
EMAIL_TO=[email protected]
GMAIL_PASSWORD=your_gmail_app_password

# Unsplash
UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY=your_unsplash_key

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API Overview

Base URL: /api

Auth

• POST /signup + POST /account-activation
• POST /signin
• PUT /forgot-password
• PUT /reset-password

User

• GET /user/:id
• PUT /user/update

Domain

• GET /categories
• GET /plants
• GET /events
• CRUD variants for each

Utilities

• GET /climate-zone/:lat/:lon
• GET /unsplash/photos?query=…

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Example: Password Reset Flow

# Request reset
domain/api/forgot-password { email }

# User clicks emailed link → frontend route `/reset-password/:token`

# Confirm reset
domain/api/reset-password { token, newPassword }

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Shared Package

almanac-shared provides reusable constants and validation rules.

Exports:

• PASSWORD_REGEX
• PASSWORD_MESSAGE

Usage:

// Client (ESM)
import { PASSWORD_REGEX, PASSWORD_MESSAGE } from '@daidensacha/almanac-shared';

// Server (CommonJS)
const { PASSWORD_REGEX } = require('@daidensacha/almanac-shared');

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Development Workflow

See Branching & Deploy Playbook and CONTRIBUTING.

• Protected branch: main
• Branches: feature/<name> or fix/<name>
• Use conventional commits
• PRs should link issues and show testing steps

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Roadmap

• Weather API proxy (Open-Meteo) + caching
• Recurrence rules (RRULE) for events
• Agenda/cron reminders (email → push)
• Security hardening (Helmet, rate-limit, deeper validation)
• Advanced dashboard features (charts, plant insights)

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Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md

• Comment or open an issue before starting
• Use feature branches from main
• Keep PRs focused & small
• Add screenshots/gifs when relevant

Quick Links:

• Open a Bug Report
• Request a Feature

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License

MIT © Daiden Sacha