Shadow Examiner

Shadow Examiner is a full-stack application with a React/Vite frontend and a FastAPI backend. The backend can use Groq, OpenAI, or a local Ollama model for AI-powered argument critique.

Screenshot

Project Structure

Project/
|-- backend/
|   |-- main.py
|   |-- requirements.txt
|   |-- .env.example
|   `-- services/
`-- frontend/
    |-- package.json
    |-- vite.config.ts
    `-- src/

Prerequisites

• Node.js and npm
• Python 3.10+
• A Python virtual environment for the backend
• One of the supported model providers:
  • Groq API key
  • OpenAI API key
  • Ollama running locally

Backend Setup

Go to the backend folder:

cd "E:\path\to\ShadowExaminer\backend"

Create and activate a Python virtual environment:

python -m venv venv
.\venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

Install backend dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Create your environment file:

copy .env.example .env

Update backend/.env with your model provider and API key.

Example:

LLM_PROVIDER=groq
OLLAMA_MODEL=llama3
GROQ_API_KEY=your_groq_api_key_here
OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key_here

Use your own Groq API key if LLM_PROVIDER=groq. You can also use OpenAI or Ollama local models depending on your system configuration. To change models or providers, update the values in backend/.env.

Frontend Setup

Go to the frontend folder:

cd "E:\CodeArdra Solutions Projects\ShadowExaminer\Project\frontend"

Install frontend dependencies:

npm install

Run the Application

Start the backend from the backend folder with the virtual environment activated:

uvicorn main:app --reload

The backend runs at:

http://127.0.0.1:8000

In a separate terminal, start the frontend from the frontend folder:

npm run dev

Vite will print the local frontend URL in the terminal, usually:

http://localhost:5173

API Health Check

After starting the backend, you can confirm it is running by opening:

http://127.0.0.1:8000/health

Expected response:

{
  "status": "ok"
}

Notes

• The Python virtual environment is required for the backend.
• Keep real API keys in backend/.env; do not commit them to source control.
• Use backend/.env.example as the template for required environment variables.