START_APP.md

How to Start the BrainBridge Backend Application

Prerequisites

• Java 21 (as specified in pom.xml)
• Maven (or use the included Maven wrapper)

Method 1: Using Maven Wrapper (Recommended)

Navigate to the project directory:

cd Backend/brainbridge/brainbridge

On Windows:

.\mvnw.cmd spring-boot:run

On Linux/Mac:

./mvnw spring-boot:run

Method 2: Using Maven (if installed)

cd Backend/brainbridge/brainbridge
mvn spring-boot:run

Method 3: Build and Run JAR

First, build the project:

cd Backend/brainbridge/brainbridge
.\mvnw.cmd clean package

Then run the JAR:

java -jar target/brainbridge-0.0.1-SNAPSHOT.jar

Method 4: Run from IDE (IntelliJ IDEA / Eclipse / VS Code)

1. IntelliJ IDEA:

   • Open the project: File → Open → Select Backend/brainbridge/brainbridge
   • Right-click on BrainbridgeApplication.java
   • Select Run 'BrainbridgeApplication.main()'

2. Eclipse:

   • Import as Maven project
   • Right-click on BrainbridgeApplication.java
   • Select Run As → Java Application

3. VS Code:

   • Install Java Extension Pack
   • Open the project folder
   • Press F5 or click Run → Start Debugging

Verify the Application is Running

Once started, you should see output like:

Started BrainbridgeApplication in X.XXX seconds

The application will be available at:

• API Base URL: http://localhost:8080
• Swagger UI: http://localhost:8080/swagger-ui.html
• OpenAPI JSON: http://localhost:8080/v3/api-docs
• H2 Database Console: http://localhost:8080/h2-console
  • JDBC URL: jdbc:h2:mem:brainbridgedb
  • Username: sa
  • Password: (leave empty)

Test the API

Using Swagger UI (Easiest)

1. Open http://localhost:8080/swagger-ui.html in your browser
2. You'll see all available endpoints organized by tags (Users, Projects, Comments, Analytics)
3. Click on any endpoint to expand and see details
4. Click "Try it out" to test the endpoint
5. Fill in the required parameters and click "Execute"

Using cURL Examples

Register a new user:

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/users/register \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "email": "test@example.com",
    "username": "testuser",
    "password": "password123",
    "confirmPassword": "password123",
    "firstName": "Test",
    "lastName": "User"
  }'

Login:

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/users/login \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "emailOrUsername": "test@example.com",
    "password": "password123"
  }'

Get all users:

curl http://localhost:8080/api/users

Troubleshooting

Port 8080 already in use

If port 8080 is already in use, you can change it in application.properties:

server.port=8081

Java version issues

Make sure you have Java 21 installed:

java -version

If you have a different version, either:

1. Install Java 21
2. Or change the Java version in pom.xml (line 30) to match your installed version

Maven dependencies not downloading

Try:

.\mvnw.cmd clean install

Application Properties

The application uses H2 in-memory database by default. All data will be lost when you stop the application.

To persist data, you can configure MySQL in application.properties (currently commented out in pom.xml).