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🚀 MyZubster Backend: Complete Setup & Deployment Guide

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🚀 MyZubster Backend: Complete Setup & Deployment Guide

A comprehensive guide to setting up, developing, and deploying the MyZubster backend
📋 Table of Contents

Project Overview

Prerequisites

Local Development Setup

Environment Configuration

Database Models

API Routes

AI Integration (DeepSeek)

Payment System (Mock)

Deployment on VPS

PM2 Management

Troubleshooting

Next Steps
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📖 Project Overview

MyZubster is an open-source peer-to-peer skill-sharing platform that connects neighbors to exchange services with Monero (XMR) payments. The backend is built with:

Node.js (v20+) with Express

MongoDB with Mongoose ODM

DeepSeek API for AI features

Monero for private payments

PM2 for process management
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🛠️ Prerequisites
On Your Local Machine:

Node.js v20+ installed

MongoDB installed and running

Git installed

A GitHub account (for pushing code)

A DeepSeek API key (optional, for AI features)
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On the VPS:

A Linux server (Ubuntu 22.04 LTS recommended)

Root access or sudo privileges

SSH access to the server

A domain name (optional, but recommended for production)
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💻 1. Local Development Setup
1.1 Clone the Repository
bash

git clone https://github.com/DanielIoni-creator/MyZubsterGateway.git
cd MyZubsterGateway

1.2 Install Dependencies
bash

npm install

1.3 Create the .env File
bash

cp .env.example .env

or manually create it

nano .env

Add the following variables:
env

PORT=3000
MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/myzubster
JWT_SECRET=your_super_secret_key_here
NODE_ENV=development

DeepSeek AI

DEEPSEEK_API_KEY=your_deepseek_api_key
DEEPSEEK_MODEL=deepseek-chat
DEEPSEEK_API_URL=https://api.deepseek.com/v1/chat/completions

Monero (for later)

MONERO_RPC_URL=http://localhost:18082/json_rpc
MONERO_WALLET_ADDRESS=
MONERO_VIEW_KEY=
MONERO_NETWORK=testnet

Payment Mode (mock | real)

PAYMENT_MODE=mock

1.4 Start MongoDB
bash

On Ubuntu/Debian

sudo systemctl start mongodb

On macOS

brew services start mongodb-community

On Windows (as Administrator)

net start MongoDB

1.5 Start the Server
bash

node server.js

The server should start on http://localhost:3000. Test with:
bash

curl http://localhost:3000/api/health

Expected response:
json

{
"status": "OK",
"message": "MyZubster Gateway is running!",
"timestamp": "2026-07-24T..."
}

🔧 2. Environment Configuration
2.1 Production .env File

Create a .env file for production on the VPS:
bash

nano .env

env

PORT=3001
MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/myzubster
JWT_SECRET=fd2cb60aba88af3ffc3832c8354cd1c8d4e0a9bb47dcd0f105ecaaa11dc23831801e214087c5745ec8ba675c43b05f387222714b047253a4cc405e43ac395f92
NODE_ENV=production

DeepSeek AI

DEEPSEEK_API_KEY=your_production_deepseek_api_key
DEEPSEEK_MODEL=deepseek-chat
DEEPSEEK_API_URL=https://api.deepseek.com/v1/chat/completions

Monero (mainnet for production)

MONERO_RPC_URL=http://localhost:18082/json_rpc
MONERO_WALLET_ADDRESS=your_monero_wallet_address
MONERO_VIEW_KEY=your_monero_view_key
MONERO_NETWORK=mainnet

Payment Mode

PAYMENT_MODE=real

Frontend

FRONTEND_URL=https://myzubster.com

2.2 Generate a Secure JWT Secret
bash

node -e "console.log(require('crypto').randomBytes(64).toString('hex'))"

Copy the output and use it as your JWT_SECRET.
2.3 .gitignore Configuration

Ensure .env and other sensitive files are excluded from Git:
gitignore

Environment variables

.env
.env.local
.env.*.local
.env.production
.env.development

Node modules

node_modules/

Logs

.log
npm-debug.log

OS files

.DS_Store
Thumbs.db

IDE

.vscode/
.idea/

Temp files

*.swp
*.save

📊 3. Database Models
3.1 Existing Models
Model File Purpose
User models/User.js User accounts, authentication
Order models/Order.js Service orders between users
3.2 New Models Added
Model File Purpose
Skill models/Skill.js Skills/competencies users offer
Offer models/Offer.js Active service offers with availability
Request models/Request.js Service requests from users
Transaction models/Transaction.js Payment and credit history
Review models/Review.js User reviews and ratings
3.3 Model Example: Skill.js
javascript

const mongoose = require('mongoose');

const SkillSchema = new mongoose.Schema({
user: {
type: mongoose.Schema.Types.ObjectId,
ref: 'User',
required: true
},
title: {
type: String,
required: true,
trim: true,
maxlength: 100
},
description: {
type: String,
required: true,
maxlength: 2000
},
category: {
type: String,
required: true,
enum: [
'Manutenzione', 'Bellezza', 'Informatica',
'Giardinaggio', 'Pulizie', 'Insegnamento',
'Arte', 'Salute', 'Altro'
]
},
zone: {
type: String,
required: true
},
pricePerHour: {
type: Number,
default: 0
},
fixedPrice: {
type: Number,
default: 0
},
pricingType: {
type: String,
enum: ['hourly', 'fixed'],
default: 'hourly'
},
isActive: {
type: Boolean,
default: true
}
}, {
timestamps: true
});

SkillSchema.index({ user: 1 });
SkillSchema.index({ category: 1 });
SkillSchema.index({ zone: 1 });
SkillSchema.index({ title: 'text', description: 'text' });

module.exports = mongoose.model('Skill', SkillSchema);

🔌 4. API Routes
4.1 All Available Routes
Route File Endpoints
Auth routes/auth.js /api/auth/register, /api/auth/login
Skills routes/skills.js /api/skills (CRUD)
Offers routes/offers.js /api/offers (CRUD)
Requests routes/requests.js /api/requests (CRUD)
Orders routes/orders.js /api/orders (CRUD)
Payments routes/payments.js /api/payments/create, /api/payments/status/:id
Transactions routes/transactions.js /api/transactions (CRUD)
Reviews routes/reviews.js /api/reviews (CRUD)
AI routes/ai.js /api/ai/matchmaking, /api/ai/chat, /api/ai/generate-description
4.2 Example API Request: Create a Skill
bash

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/skills \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"user": "USER_ID_HERE",
"title": "Professional Plumber",
"description": "Fixing pipes, faucets, and boilers",
"category": "Manutenzione",
"zone": "Rimini Centro",
"pricePerHour": 0.5
}'

4.3 Example API Request: AI Matchmaking
bash

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/ai/matchmaking \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"request": "Looking for a plumber to fix my boiler, Rimini Centro area"
}'

🤖 5. AI Integration (DeepSeek)
5.1 Services

The AI functionality is implemented in services/aiService.js:
javascript

const aiService = require('../services/aiService');

// Matchmaking
const professionals = await aiService.findBestMatch(userRequest, professionalsList);

// Chatbot
const response = await aiService.chatAssistant(userMessage);

// Generate Description
const description = await aiService.generateDescription(title, category, zone, price);

5.2 AI Features

Matchmaking Intelligente: Analyzes user requests and ranks professionals by relevance

Chatbot Assistant: Answers FAQs and helps with navigation

Description Generator: Creates professional service descriptions
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5.3 Getting a DeepSeek API Key

Go to platform.deepseek.com

Create an account or log in

Navigate to API Keys

Generate a new key

Copy the key and add it to your .env file
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💳 6. Payment System (Mock)
6.1 Mock Payment Service

Located in services/paymentService.js, the mock service:

Generates random payment IDs

Simulates address and QR code

Auto-confirms payments after 5 seconds

Stores payments in memory
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6.2 Switching to Real Payments

To enable real Monero payments, set in .env:
env

PAYMENT_MODE=real

Then implement services/realPaymentService.js using Monero RPC.
6.3 Payment API Endpoints
javascript

POST /api/payments/create
Body: { orderId, amount, currency }
Response: { success: true, data: { id, address, qrCode, amount, status } }

GET /api/payments/status/:paymentId
Response: { success: true, data: { status, confirmedAt, ... } }

POST /api/payments/confirm/:paymentId
Response: { success: true, data: { status: 'confirmed', ... } }

☁️ 7. Deployment on VPS
7.1 Initial VPS Setup

Connect to your VPS:
bash

ssh root@your_vps_ip

Update the system:
bash

apt update && apt upgrade -y

7.2 Install Node.js (v20+)
bash

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
apt install -y nodejs
node -v # Should show v20.x

7.3 Install MongoDB
bash

Add MongoDB GPG key

wget -qO - https://www.mongodb.org/static/pgp/server-7.0.asc | sudo apt-key add -

Add MongoDB repository

echo "deb [ arch=amd64,arm64 ] https://repo.mongodb.org/apt/ubuntu jammy/mongodb-org/7.0 multiverse" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mongodb-org-7.0.list

Install MongoDB

apt update
apt install -y mongodb-org

Start MongoDB

systemctl start mongod
systemctl enable mongod
systemctl status mongod

7.4 Install Git and PM2
bash

apt install -y git
npm install -g pm2

7.5 Clone the Repository on VPS
bash

git clone https://github.com/DanielIoni-creator/MyZubsterGateway.git
cd MyZubsterGateway

7.6 Configure Git Authentication

Option A: Using HTTPS with Personal Access Token
bash

git remote set-url origin https://YOUR_USERNAME@github.com/DanielIoni-creator/MyZubsterGateway.git

Option B: Using SSH
bash

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your-email@example.com"
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Copy the key, add it to GitHub > Settings > SSH Keys

7.7 Install Dependencies and Configure .env
bash

npm install
nano .env

Paste your production .env content and save.
7.8 Start the Server with PM2
bash

PORT=3001 node server.js # Test manually first

If it works, Ctrl+C, then:

pm2 start server.js --name myzubster-gateway -- --PORT=3001
pm2 save
pm2 status

7.9 Configure PM2 Startup
bash

pm2 startup

Run the command that PM2 shows (e.g., sudo env PATH=...)

🔄 8. PM2 Management
8.1 Basic Commands
bash

List all processes

pm2 list

Start a process

pm2 start server.js --name myzubster-gateway -- --PORT=3001

Stop a process

pm2 stop myzubster-gateway

Restart a process

pm2 restart myzubster-gateway

Delete a process

pm2 delete myzubster-gateway

Save current process list

pm2 save

Show logs

pm2 logs myzubster-gateway
pm2 logs myzubster-gateway --lines 50

8.2 Monitoring
bash

Real-time monitoring

pm2 monit

Process status

pm2 status

🐛 9. Troubleshooting
9.1 Port Already in Use (EADDRINUSE)

Find the process:
bash

lsof -i :3000
ss -tulpn | grep 3000
ps aux | grep node

Kill the process:
bash

kill -9

Or kill all Node processes

pkill -9 node

9.2 Git Authentication Failed

Solution 1: Use Personal Access Token

Generate a token on GitHub (Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens)

Use the token as password when prompted
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Solution 2: Change remote URL
bash

git remote set-url origin https://YOUR_USERNAME@github.com/DanielIoni-creator/MyZubsterGateway.git

9.3 MongoDB Connection Issues

Check if MongoDB is running:
bash

systemctl status mongodb
systemctl start mongodb
systemctl enable mongodb

Check the MongoDB URI in .env:
env

MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/myzubster

9.4 PM2 Process Not Found
bash

Start the process

pm2 start server.js --name myzubster-gateway -- --PORT=3001
pm2 save

Or kill and restart all

pm2 kill
pm2 start server.js --name myzubster-gateway -- --PORT=3001
pm2 save

9.5 Duplicate Schema Index Warnings (Mongoose)

Fix: Remove duplicate index definitions in models/User.js:
javascript

// Remove unique: true from schema fields
username: { type: String, required: true, trim: true }
email: { type: String, required: true, trim: true, lowercase: true }

// Keep only index definitions
UserSchema.index({ email: 1 }, { unique: true });
UserSchema.index({ username: 1 }, { unique: true });

Clear old indexes in the database:
bash

node cleanup.js

9.6 Server Not Responding

Check if the server is running:
bash

pm2 status
lsof -i :3001

Check logs:
bash

pm2 logs myzubster-gateway

Test the API:
bash

curl http://localhost:3001/api/health

🔗 10. Next Steps
10.1 Install Nginx (Reverse Proxy)
bash

apt install -y nginx

Create a configuration:
bash

nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/myzubster

nginx

server {
listen 80;
server_name api.myzubster.com; # Replace with your domain

location / {
    proxy_pass http://localhost:3001;
    proxy_http_version 1.1;
    proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
    proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
    proxy_set_header Host $host;
    proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
    proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
}
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}

Enable the site:
bash

ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/myzubster /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
nginx -t
systemctl restart nginx

10.2 Enable HTTPS with Let's Encrypt
bash

apt install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx
certbot --nginx -d api.myzubster.com

10.3 Connect Marketplace (Frontend)

Build your React/Next.js frontend

Configure the API base URL in the frontend:
text

API_BASE_URL=https://api.myzubster.com

Deploy the frontend to another VPS, Netlify, or Vercel
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10.4 Complete Monero Integration

Install Monero CLI tools

Create a wallet for the application

Implement realPaymentService.js

Test on testnet first, then switch to mainnet
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10.5 Testing End-to-End Flow

Register a user → /api/auth/register

Login → /api/auth/login

Create a skill → /api/skills

Create an offer → /api/offers

Create a request → /api/requests

Create an order → /api/orders

Create a payment → /api/payments/create

Check payment status → /api/payments/status/:id

Create a review → /api/reviews
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📦 11. Quick Reference: Useful Commands
Local Development
bash

Start MongoDB

sudo systemctl start mongodb

Start server

node server.js

Test health

curl http://localhost:3000/api/health

VPS Management
bash

Connect to VPS

ssh root@your_vps_ip

Navigate to project

cd ~/MyZubsterGateway

Pull latest changes

git pull origin main

Install dependencies

npm install

Restart with PM2

pm2 restart myzubster-gateway

View logs

pm2 logs myzubster-gateway

Check status

pm2 status

Database
bash

Connect to MongoDB shell

mongosh

Show databases

show dbs

Use MyZubster database

use myzubster

Show collections

show collections

Exit

exit

🌟 12. Conclusion

Congratulations! 🎉 You now have a fully functional MyZubster backend with:

✅ Complete API with 10+ routes

✅ AI integration (DeepSeek)

✅ Mock payment system

✅ 5 new database models

✅ Production deployment on VPS

✅ PM2 process management

✅ Environment configuration
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Key Achievements:
Feature Status
Server ✅ Online on port 3001
Database ✅ Connected (MongoDB)
API ✅ Responding (health check OK)
AI Services ✅ Integrated (matchmaking, chatbot, generation)
Payments ✅ Mock service active
PM2 ✅ Configured and running
Code ✅ Pushed to GitHub
🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Here's how you can help:

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