Helpdesk App

A full-stack helpdesk ticketing system with a React frontend and Node.js/Express/MongoDB backend. The app allows users to sign up, log in, and manage support tickets securely via a RESTful API.

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Features

• User authentication (JWT-based signup/login)
• Create, view, update, and delete support tickets
• Assign tickets to users
• Ticket status management (open, in progress, closed)
• RESTful API with Swagger docs
• Rate limiting, security headers, and CORS
• React frontend (template, ready for customization)

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Tech Stack

• Frontend: React (Create React App)
• Backend: Node.js, Express.js, MongoDB (Mongoose)
• Authentication: JWT
• API Docs: Swagger (OpenAPI)
• Other: Helmet, CORS, express-rate-limit

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Project Structure

helpdesk-app/
  client/      # React frontend
  server/      # Express backend
  tests/       # API HTTP request examples
  requirements.txt  # Setup instructions for Node/MongoDB

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Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

• Node.js (LTS recommended)
• MongoDB (local or cloud)

1. Backend Setup

cd server
npm install

Environment Variables

Create a .env file in server/ with:

PORT=3000
MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/helpdesk
TOKEN_SECRET=your_jwt_secret

2. Frontend Setup

cd ../client
npm install

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Running the App

Start MongoDB

• macOS: brew services start mongodb-community
• Windows: Use MongoDB Community installer

Start Backend

cd server
npm run dev   # or: make dev

Start Frontend

cd client
npm start

• Backend: http://localhost:3000/api
• Frontend: http://localhost:3000/ (or another port if 3000 is in use)
• API Docs: http://localhost:3000/api-docs

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API Overview

Auth

• POST /api/auth/signup — Register a new user
• POST /api/auth/login — Login and receive JWT

Tickets (JWT required)

• POST /api/tickets — Create ticket
• GET /api/tickets — List all tickets
• GET /api/tickets/:id — Get ticket by ID
• PUT /api/tickets/:id — Update ticket
• PATCH /api/tickets/:id — Partial update
• DELETE /api/tickets/:id — Delete ticket

See tests/api.http for example requests.

Example: Signup & Login

POST /api/auth/signup
{
  "email": "user@example.com",
  "password": "s3cret123"
}

POST /api/auth/login
{
  "email": "user@example.com",
  "password": "s3cret123"
}
// Response: { "token": "..." }

Example: Create Ticket

POST /api/tickets
Authorization: Bearer <token>
{
  "title": "Cannot log in",
  "description": "User gets error when trying to log in."
}

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Development

• Backend scripts: npm run dev (nodemon), npm start
• Frontend scripts: npm start, npm test, npm run build
• Makefile in server/ for quick start
• API docs auto-generated at /api-docs

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Contributing

1. Fork & clone the repo
2. Create a feature branch
3. Commit and push your changes
4. Open a pull request

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License

MIT (add a LICENSE file if needed)