📝 MyBlog

MyBlog is a full-stack blogging platform built using Node.js, Express, MongoDB, and EJS.
The application focuses on secure authentication, user-owned content, and clean backend architecture.

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🚀 Live Demo

• The application is deployed
• ClickMe to view the live demo

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✨ What this project does

• 👤 Allows users to create an account and authenticate securely
• 🔒 Ensures only signed-in users can create blogs
• 🧾 Restricts delete actions to content owners and admins
• 🗄️ Stores all data using structured MongoDB schemas

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🚀 Core Features

🔐 Authentication & Access Control

• Password hashing with salt
• JWT-based authentication
• Login and logout functionality
• Middleware-protected routes
• Unauthorized users cannot create blogs or comments

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✍️ Blogs

• Create blog posts with title and content and cover image
• Delete blogs only if you are the creator or the admin
• Ownership checks enforced on the server

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💬 Comments

• Add comments on blog posts
• Comments are linked to authenticated users
• Anonymous commenting is restricted

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👤 User Management

• Users can delete their own account
• Sessions are invalidated on logout

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🛠️ Tech Stack

• Backend: Node.js, Express.js
• Database: MongoDB (Mongoose)
• Authentication: JWT
• Templating: EJS

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📁 Project Structure

controllers/
middlewares/
models/
routes/
services/
views/
public/
app.js
package.json
package-lock.json
.env
.gitignore

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⚙️ Getting Started

1️⃣ Clone the repository

git clone <repository-url>
cd BLOG

2️⃣ Install dependencies

Copy code
npm install

3️⃣ Configure environment variables

Create a .env file in the root directory:
PORT=your_port
MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret

4️⃣ Start the server

npm start
Open in browser:
http://localhost:PORT

🔗 API Endpoints

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🔐 Authentication

• Authentication is handled using JWT stored in cookies, with middleware-based user resolution.

POST /user/signup

Register a new user

POST /user/signin

Authenticate user and create session

GET /user/logout

Logout the current user

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📝 Blogs

GET /

Fetch and display all blogs (homepage)

GET /blog/add-new

Render add blog form (authenticated users only)

GET /blog/:id

Fetch a specific blog along with its comments

POST /blog

Create a new blog with optional cover image upload

DELETE /blog/:id

Delete a blog (author or admin only)

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💬 Comments

POST /blog/comment/:id

Add a comment to a specific blog

DELETE /blog/comment/:commentId

Delete a comment (comment author, blog owner, or admin only)

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🔍 How access is enforced

• 🚫 Blogs cannot be created without authentication
• 🛑 Users cannot delete blogs they do not own
• 🧠 Middleware validates JWT on protected routes
• 🔐 Passwords are never stored in plain text

🔮 Possible Improvements

• Edit blog functionality
• Upvote and Downvote
• View Blogs By Various Filters
• User Profiles
• Search optimization
• Admin moderation tools

🧾 License

MIT License © 2025 Anjali Mittal

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Made with ❤️ by Anjali Mittal