OOCAA-API

A Node.js backend for the OOCAA (Online Orbital Collision Alert and Analysis) platform, designed to fetch, process, and serve conjunction data messages (CDMs) for satellite collision monitoring and visualization.

Prerequisites

Before running the project locally, ensure the following are installed:

• Node.js
• MongoDB
• Git

Windows Users
It's highly recommended to use WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) with a terminal like Ubuntu. It works seamlessly with VSCode and avoids many common issues with PowerShell or Command Prompt.

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Installation & Setup

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/your-username/oocaa-api.git
# OR
git clone [email protected]:your-username/oocaa-api.git

SSH Recommended
If you use SSH, make sure you’ve set up your SSH keys on GitHub beforehand.

2. Install Dependencies

npm install

3. Configure Environment Variables

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

# MongoDB
DATABASE_URL=mongodb://localhost/cdm-data

# App Port
PORT=3000

# JWT Authentication
JWT_SECRET_KEY=your_generated_jwt_secret

# Cloudinary (for profile images)
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloudinary_cloud_name
CLOUDINARY_PARENT_FOLDER=OOCAA/profileImages
CLOUDINARY_KEY=your_cloudinary_api_key
CLOUDINARY_SECRET_KEY=your_cloudinary_secret

Generating a JWT Secret

openssl rand -hex 32

Cloudinary Notes

Images are stored via uploading to a "cloud" or server space with the cloudinary service and saving associated URLs in OOCAA's database. The above 4 Cloudinary values help access the cloud and the specific path for storing images.

If you want to use your own account for testing, make your own cloudinary account for free and then follow the below steps.

• Change the CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME, CLOUDINARY_KEY, and CLOUDINARY_SECRET_KEY values to those listed under Programmable Media > Dashboard and Dashboard > Go to API Keys in your account.
• Ideally keep CLOUDINARY_PARENT_FOLDER as OOCAA/profileImages to maintain the same file structure.
• You can set up and view the folder structure described by CLOUDINARY_PARENT_FOLDER and any uploaded files under Assets > Folders.
• Place the default profile image directly in the profileImages folder following the CLOUDINARY_PARENT_FOLDER structure.

4. Run MongoDB

Make sure MongoDB is running:

systemctl status mongod

Running the Server

Start the dev server with:

npm run devStart

Or fall back to:

node server.js

If successful, you should see:

Server Started
Connected to Database

everything should be working, you can test the endpoints via postman or curl

Testing the API

This system can be tested automatically using the command npm test.

These tests will only work if there is an account with username "testuser", password "Te$tpa55" and email "[email protected]". It also only works when the system is running.

You can also use any of the following to manually test API endpoints:

• Postman
• curl