📓 Journal App – Backend API

A secure and scalable backend for managing personal journal entries

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📖 Overview

The Journal App Backend is a secure digital platform that enables users to create, manage, and maintain personal journal entries.
It provides RESTful APIs for:

• User Registration & Authentication (JWT)
• CRUD operations for journal entries
• Weekly email updates

This backend ensures data security, scalability, and maintainability for personal journaling applications.

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📂 Project Structure

JournalApp/

├── config/ # Security & application configurations

├── controller/ # REST API controllers

├── model/ # Entity models

├── repository/ # MongoDB repositories

├── service/ # Business logic services

├── dto/ # Data transfer objects

├── utils/ # Utility/helper classes

└── resources/ # application.properties and static files

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✨ Features 🌟

• JWT Authentication & Authorization – Secure login and role-based access control
• User Management – Register, update profile, delete account
• Journal Entry Management – Create, read, update, and delete journal entries
• Admin Features – Manage users and their roles
• Weekly Email Updates – Automated summaries for users
• API Documentation – Swagger UI integration
• Code Quality – Static analysis with SonarCloud

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🛠 Tech Stack 💻

• Language: Java
• Framework: Spring Boot (2.7.15)
• Database: MongoDB
• Authentication: JWT
• API Documentation: Swagger (Springdoc OpenAPI)
• Logging: SLF4J with Logback
• Testing Tools: Postman, SonarCloud
• Email Service: SMTP
• Build Tool: Maven / Gradle

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🚀 How to Start Your Project ▶️

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/your-username/JournalEntryAPI.git
cd JournalEntryAPI

2. Configure Environment Variables
   Create a .env file in the root directory with the following keys:

MAIL_USERNAME=your_email@example.com
MAIL_PASSWORD=your_email_password
MONGO_USERNAME=your_mongo_username
MONGO_PASSWORD=your_mongo_password
MONGO_CLUSTER_HOST=your_mongo_cluster_host
MONGO_APP_NAME=Cluster1

Note: These values will be injected into your Spring Boot application via environment variables.

3. Update application.yml or application-dev.yml
   Configure your MongoDB and mail settings using the environment variables:

spring:
  data:
    mongodb:
      uri: mongodb+srv://${MONGO_USERNAME}:${MONGO_PASSWORD}@${MONGO_CLUSTER_HOST}/${MONGO_APP_NAME}?retryWrites=true&w=majority
  mail:
    username: ${MAIL_USERNAME}
    password: ${MAIL_PASSWORD}
    host: smtp.gmail.com
    port: 587
    properties:
      mail:
        smtp:
          auth: true
          starttls:
            enable: true

4. Build & Run the project

mvn clean install
mvn spring-boot:run

5. Access API documentation
   Swagger UI : http://localhost:8080/swagger-ui/index.html

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👥 User Roles 🧑‍🤝‍🧑

1. User

• Register and log in
• Create, update, and delete personal journal entries
• View and manage profile
• Receive weekly email updates

2. Admin

• All user permissions
• View all journal entries
• Manage user accounts and roles

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🔑 Environment Variables 🔒

You must set the following in a .env file before running the project:

MAIL_USERNAME=your_email@example.com
MAIL_PASSWORD=your_email_password
MONGO_USERNAME=your_mongo_username
MONGO_PASSWORD=your_mongo_password
MONGO_CLUSTER_HOST=your_mongo_cluster_host
MONGO_APP_NAME=Cluster1

• MAIL_USERNAME → Your email for sending updates
• MAIL_PASSWORD → Email password or App Password (for Gmail)
• MONGO_USERNAME → MongoDB Atlas username
• MONGO_PASSWORD → MongoDB Atlas password
• MONGO_CLUSTER_HOST → MongoDB cluster host URL (without protocol)
• MONGO_APP_NAME → Name of your MongoDB database/cluster

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🧪 Testing

Static Code Analysis – SonarCloud

• Tool: SonarCloud
• Integrated with CI pipeline for quality checks
• Detects code smells, bugs, and vulnerabilities before merge

API Testing – Postman

• Positive and negative test scenarios
• JWT authentication flows validated
• Comprehensive Postman Collection covering all endpoints

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📜 References

• Spring Boot Documentation
• MongoDB Docs
• Swagger OpenAPI
• SonarCloud
• JWT.io

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