📦 NPO CMS Backend

A content management backend for nonprofit organizations built with Node.js, Express, MongoDB, and JWT authentication.

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🚀 Tech Stack

Layer	Technologies
Backend	Node.js + Express
Database	MongoDB (via Mongoose)
Auth	JWT + bcrypt
Tools	Postman, MongoDB Compass

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🔐 Authentication & Access Control

• JWT Authentication using protect middleware

• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) via authorizeRoles('admin', 'editor')

• User Profile Routes:

  • GET /api/users/me – Get authenticated user profile
  • PUT /api/users/me – Update user’s name or email

• Input Validation via express-validator for input safety and structure

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👥 User Roles

Role	Permissions
admin	Full access to all resources
editor	Create and manage content
viewer	Read-only access to dashboard/data

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🧪 Input Validation

Using express-validator for all routes to ensure valid input data.

Feature	Method	Endpoint	Required Fields
Team Members	POST	/api/team/	name, title, bio
	PUT	/api/team/:id	Optional: name, title, bio
Pages	POST	/api/pages/	title, slug, content
	PUT	/api/pages/:id	Optional: title, slug, content
Blog Posts	POST	/api/blog/	title, slug, content
	PUT	/api/blog/:id	Optional: title, slug, content
Events	POST	/api/events/	name, date, location, desc
	PUT	/api/events/:id	Optional: all fields above
User Profile	PUT	/api/users/me	Optional: name, email

Example Validation Error Response

{
  "errors": [
    {
      "msg": "Field is required",
      "param": "fieldName",
      "location": "body"
    }
  ]
}

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📡 API Routes Overview

Method	Endpoint	Description	Auth Required
GET	/api/projects	Retrieve all projects	❌ No
POST	/api/projects	Create new project	✅ Yes
GET	/api/blogs	Get list of blog posts	❌ No
POST	/api/blogs	Create new blog post	✅ Yes
GET	/api/events	Get upcoming events	❌ No
POST	/api/events	Add new event	✅ Yes
GET	/api/pages/:slug	Get dynamic page content	❌ No

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⚙️ Environment Setup

Create a .env file in the root of the project:

PORT=5000
NODE_ENV=development
MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_key
JWT_EXPIRE=30d

• MONGO_URI: Your MongoDB connection string (e.g. from Atlas or local instance)
• JWT_SECRET: A secret string used for signing JWTs
• JWT_EXPIRE: Token expiration (e.g. 30d for 30 days)

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🚀 Deployment

🐳 Docker (Optional)

If you're using Docker:

docker build -t npo-cms-backend .
docker run -p 5000:5000 --env-file .env npo-cms-backend

🟩 Vercel / Netlify (Frontend)

For frontend deployments (React), connect your repo to Vercel or Netlify, and ensure that it points to the correct backend API URLs.

🌐 Heroku / Railway / Render (Backend)

1. Push your project to GitHub
2. Link to a platform like Render, Railway, or Heroku (We have more options at the bottom of this read me)
3. Set the same environment variables in their dashboard
4. Make sure your frontend references the deployed backend URL

🧰 Scripts

Command	Description
npm install	Install dependencies
npm run dev	Start server in dev mode
npm start	Start server in production

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Bonus:

Tech Nonprofit Discounts

GitHub for Good – Free GitHub Team/Pro

Google for Nonprofits – Workspace, YouTube credits

Microsoft for Nonprofits – Azure credits

AWS Activate for Nonprofits – AWS credits for infra

🏆 Best Tech Combinations for NPOs

Backend Platform	Frontend Platform	DB Host	Notes
Railway (Free)	Vercel (Free)	MongoDB Atlas	Easiest setup, mostly free
Render (Free)	Netlify (Free)	MongoDB Atlas	Stable, nonprofit-friendly
Fly.io (Free)	Vercel	MongoDB Atlas	Powerful, but more technical setup