README

🍱 Spare A Bite – Backend API

🚀 Purpose

This is the backend server for the Spare A Bite web application, a platform that helps connect food donors with people in need. It handles food listings, food requests, reviews, and authentication using Firebase and MongoDB.

🌐 Live URL

🔗 Spare A Bite API - Live Demo

✨ Key Features

Authentication: Uses Firebase Admin SDK to verify Firebase-issued JWT tokens
Middleware: Includes verifyToken and verifyEmail for secure access control
Food Management: Full CRUD operations for food listings
Request System: Handle food requests between users
Review System: Submit and view reviews
CORS Support: Secure cross-origin requests

🔒 Authentication

Uses Firebase Admin SDK to verify Firebase-issued JWT tokens.
verifyToken middleware checks for valid Bearer token.
verifyEmail middleware ensures the user can only access their own data.

📦 npm Packages Used

🛠️ How to Run Locally

Follow these steps to run the Spare A Bite API on your local machine:

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/your-username/spare-a-bite-server.git
cd spare-a-bite-server

Step 2: Install Dependencies

npm install
# or
yarn install

Step 3: Set Up Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the root directory with the following:

PORT=5000
MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID=your_firebase_project_id
FIREBASE_PRIVATE_KEY=your_firebase_private_key
FIREBASE_CLIENT_EMAIL=your_firebase_client_email

Step 4: Run the Server

npm start
# or
yarn start

The API will be available at http://localhost:5000

📄 API Endpoints

🔹 Food Endpoints

GET /allFoods – All food data
GET /featuredFoods – Top 6 by quantity
GET /foods?search=&sort= – Filtered/search food
GET /food/:id – Food by ID
POST /food – Add food (auth required)
POST /food/:id – Edit food (auth required)
DELETE /food/:id – Delete food (auth required)

🔹 Requests

POST /foodRequets – Make a request (auth required)
GET /foodRequests?email= – See requests by user (auth + email match)
DELETE /foodRequests/:id – Cancel a request
PATCH /foodRequests/:id – Edit request note (auth + email match)

🔹 My Foods

GET /myManagedFoods?email= – View foods by donor (auth + email match)

🔹 Reviews

GET /reviews – All reviews
POST /reviews – Add review (auth required)