How does a request flow through the DevTinder backend?
Request hits Express, matches a route in routes/, passes through auth middleware (JWT verification), the route handler validates input and calls model methods, the response is sent as JSON, and any errors are caught by the global error handler in app.js.
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More FAQs in Understanding the DevTinder Codebase Structure Models, Routes, and Middleware
server.js is the entry point. It creates an HTTP server from the Express app, connects to MongoDB, starts listening on the configured port, and sets up Socket.io for real-time chat.
Routes are split into separate files by feature: auth.js (signup, login, logout), profile.js (view, edit, photo), connection.js (send, review, list), feed.js (paginated feed), and chat.js (message history). Each exports an Express Router mounted in app.js.
Models define Mongoose schemas with field types, validation (required, min, max, enum), indexes (compound unique on ConnectionRequest), instance methods (comparePassword on User), and pre-save hooks (password hashing).
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