Bitespeed Backend Task

A robust Node.js + Express API for contact identification and linking, built for the Bitespeed engineering challenge.
This backend service processes requests to identify, merge, and link user contacts by email and phone number, with all data managed in a Supabase PostgreSQL database and deployed on Render.

Table of Contents

• Project Overview
• Features
• Tech Stack
• Getting Started
• Environment Variables
• Database Schema
• API Documentation
• Using the API with Postman
• Data Storage in Supabase
• Deployment
• Submission Details
• Notes

Project Overview

This backend exposes a REST API endpoint to:

• Identify users by email and/or phone number
• Link contacts as primary or secondary according to business logic
• Return all linked emails and phone numbers for a user

No frontend is included; this is a pure backend API intended for use with tools like Postman, curl, or integration into other services.

Features

• POST /identify: Main endpoint for contact identification and linking
• Express.js: Minimal, fast Node.js backend
• Supabase PostgreSQL: Managed, scalable relational database
• Environment-based configuration: Secure, flexible deployment
• Production deployment: Hosted on Render for public access

Tech Stack

• Node.js (v18+)
• Express.js
• pg (PostgreSQL client)
• dotenv (environment management)
• Supabase (PostgreSQL database as a service)
• Render (cloud deployment)
• Postman (for API testing and demonstration)

Getting Started

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/SekharSunkara6/Bitespeed-Backend-Task.git
cd Bitespeed-Backend-Task

2. Install dependencies

npm install

3. Set up environment variables

Create a .env file in the project root:

PGUSER=your_supabase_pguser
PGPASSWORD=your_supabase_password
PGHOST=your_supabase_pooler_host
PGDATABASE=postgres
PGPORT=5432

See Environment Variables for details.

4. Start the server locally

npm run dev

Server will run at http://localhost:3000.

Environment Variables

The app uses the following environment variables (required for both local and production):

Key	Example Value	Description
PGUSER	your_supabase_pguser	Supabase pooler username
PGPASSWORD	your-supabase-password	Supabase database password
PGHOST	your_supabase_pooler_host	Supabase session pooler host
PGDATABASE	postgres	Database name (default: postgres)
PGPORT	5432	Database port (default: 5432)

Note:

• Use the session pooler connection details from your Supabase dashboard for Render/cloud deployments.
• Never commit your real .env file to version control.

Database Schema

All contact data is stored in the contact table in Supabase.

Column	Type	Description
id	integer	Primary key for each contact
phoneNumber	text	User’s phone number
email	text	User’s email address
linkedId	integer	Points to primary contact (if this is secondary)
linkPrecedence	text	'primary' or 'secondary'
createdAt	timestamp	Row creation time
updatedAt	timestamp	Last update time
deletedAt	timestamp	Deletion time (null if not deleted)

• Primary contacts: linkPrecedence = 'primary', linkedId = NULL
• Secondary contacts: linkPrecedence = 'secondary', linkedId points to primary contact’s id

Supabase Table Screenshot

Below is a sample view of the contact table in Supabase:

API Documentation

POST /identify

Description:
Identify and link contacts by email and/or phone number.

Request Body:

{
  "email": "mcfly@hillvalley.edu",
  "phoneNumber": "123456"
}

• At least one of email or phoneNumber is required.

Response:

{
  "contact": {
    "primaryContatctId": 1,
    "emails": ["mcfly@hillvalley.edu"],
    "phoneNumbers": ["123456"],
    "secondaryContactIds": []
  }
}

Error Responses:

• 400 Bad Request if both email and phone number are missing.
• 500 Internal Server Error for unexpected issues.

Using the API with Postman

You can test and interact with the API using Postman:

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Open Postman and create a new request.
2. Set the request type to POST.
3. Enter the request URL:

   https://bitespeed-backend-task-mnst.onrender.com/identify
   

4. Go to the "Body" tab and select raw and JSON as the format.
5. Paste your JSON payload, for example:

   {
     "email": "mcfly@hillvalley.edu",
     "phoneNumber": "123456"
   }

6. Click "Send".
7. View the response in the lower section. You should see a JSON object with contact details.

Postman Screenshot

Below is an example of a POST request to /identify in Postman:

You can also use the API with curl or any HTTP client.

Data Storage in Supabase

• All contact data is securely stored in your Supabase PostgreSQL database, specifically in the contact table. Whenever a request is made to the /identify endpoint, your backend reads from and writes to this table in Supabase.
• You can view, query, and manage the data in the contact table directly from your Supabase dashboard. All new contacts, updates, and links created by your API logic are reflected in this table, ensuring your data is always up to date and accessible for future API calls.

Deployment

The backend is deployed on Render for public access.

• Production URL:
  https://bitespeed-backend-task-mnst.onrender.com/
• Health Check:
  Visiting the root URL (/) returns:
  Bitespeed Backend is running!
• API Endpoint:
  /identify (POST)

Submission Details

• Github Repository:
  https://github.com/SekharSunkara6/Bitespeed-Backend-Task.git
• Hosted Endpoint:
  https://bitespeed-backend-task-mnst.onrender.com/

Notes

• This is a backend API only; no frontend is included.
• Use Postman, curl, or similar tools to interact with the API.
• All contact data is securely stored in Supabase and managed via the backend.
• For questions or issues, contact [sekharsunkara2002@gmail.com].

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