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⚡ Quick Start Guide

Get the AI-powered project management tool running in 5 minutes!

🚀 Installation

# 1. Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Pranav140/Project-manager.git
cd Project-manager/Project-Management-Tool-MERN

# 2. Install all dependencies
npm run install-all

# 3. Setup environment
cd backend
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env and add your MongoDB URI and Gemini API key

🔑 Get Free API Keys

MongoDB (Database)

  1. Visit: https://www.mongodb.com/cloud/atlas
  2. Create free cluster
  3. Get connection string
  4. Add to backend/.env as MONGODB_URI

Google Gemini (AI Features)

  1. Visit: https://makersuite.google.com/app/apikey
  2. Create API key (FREE)
  3. Add to backend/.env as GEMINI_API_KEY

▶️ Run the Application

# Option 1: Run both servers together (Recommended)
npm run dev:all

# Option 2: Run separately
# Terminal 1 - Backend
cd backend && npm run dev

# Terminal 2 - Frontend
cd frontend && npm start

🌐 Access the Application

🤖 Test AI Features

  1. Open http://localhost:3000
  2. Click the floating AI button (robot icon, bottom-right)
  3. Try any feature:
    • Generate Description
    • Task Suggestions
    • Project Analysis
    • Smart Search

📁 Project Structure

Project-Management-Tool-MERN/
├── backend/              # Node.js/Express API
│   ├── controllers/      # Business logic
│   ├── models/          # Database schemas
│   ├── routes/          # API endpoints
│   ├── services/        # AI service layer
│   └── middleware/      # Custom middleware
├── frontend/            # React application
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── components/  # React components
│   │   ├── containers/  # Page components
│   │   ├── services/    # API service
│   │   └── style/       # CSS modules
└── docs/                # Documentation

🛠️ Available Scripts

Root Level

npm run install-all    # Install all dependencies
npm run dev:all        # Run both servers
npm run server         # Run backend only
npm run client         # Run frontend only
npm start              # Production mode

Backend

npm run dev            # Development with nodemon
npm start              # Production mode
npm test               # Run tests

Frontend

npm start              # Development server
npm run build          # Production build
npm test               # Run tests

🔧 Environment Variables

Backend (.env)

# Required
MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/project-management
PORT=8000
NODE_ENV=development
CLIENT_URL=http://localhost:3000

# AI Features (Optional but recommended)
GEMINI_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

# Optional
LOG_LEVEL=info

📚 Documentation

🐛 Troubleshooting

Port already in use

# Kill process on port 8000 (backend)
npx kill-port 8000

# Kill process on port 3000 (frontend)
npx kill-port 3000

MongoDB connection error

  • Check if MongoDB is running
  • Verify MONGODB_URI in .env
  • For Atlas: Check IP whitelist

AI features not working

  • Verify GEMINI_API_KEY in .env
  • Check internet connection
  • Restart backend server

Module not found

# Reinstall dependencies
rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
npm install

🎯 Next Steps

  1. ✅ Create some projects
  2. ✅ Try all AI features
  3. ✅ Explore the codebase
  4. ✅ Customize for your needs
  5. ✅ Deploy to production

🚀 Deployment

Quick Deploy Options

Vercel (Frontend)

cd frontend
vercel

Railway (Full Stack)

railway login
railway init
railway up

Render (Full Stack)

  1. Connect GitHub repo
  2. Add environment variables
  3. Deploy

💡 Tips

  • Use MongoDB Atlas for free cloud database
  • Gemini API is free with generous limits
  • Check logs in backend/logs/ for debugging
  • Use React DevTools for frontend debugging
  • API documentation at /api endpoints

🆘 Need Help?

Ready to build something amazing? 🚀

Start with: npm run dev:all