TeacherDashboard-Backend

This is the backend service for managing chess games played between users and robotic chess players. Built with Node.js, Express.js, and MongoDB, it provides RESTful APIs to manage robots, games, moves, and retrieve various statistics.

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Project Description

This backend system powers a robotic chess teaching platform, enabling teachers and developers to:

• Manage robots with their statuses and performance statistics.

• Track and manage chess games between students and robots.

• Record and manipulate individual chess moves.

• Retrieve useful statistics about games, students, and robots.

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Features

• Robot Management: CRUD operations for chess-playing robots.

• Game Management: Track games, their status, results, and associated robot/student.

• Move Management: Record, update, and delete moves within games.

• Statistics: Aggregate statistics on performance, win rates, top players, and more.

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Technologies Used

• Node.js – Backend runtime

• Express.js – Web framework

• MongoDB – NoSQL database

• Mongoose – ODM for MongoDB

• dotenv – Environment variable management

• helmet – Security middleware

• cors – Cross-Origin Resource Sharing

• express-validator – Input validation

• morgan – HTTP request logging

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Installation

Follow these steps to set up the backend locally:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/RoboKnight-INSAT/TeacherDashboard-Backend.git

# Navigate to the TeacherDashboard-Backend folder
cd TeacherDashboard-Backend

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Create a .env file in the root directory and add the following:
PORT=5000
NODE_ENV=development
MONGO_URI=  #this is a secret url contact for more info, but you can create your own MongoDB cluster and it would work fine

# Start the development server
npm run dev

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API Endpoints Overview

Robot APIs

• GET /api/robots: Get a paginated list of robots (with filters).

• GET /api/robots/:id: Get details of a specific robot.

• POST /api/robots: Create a new robot.

• PUT /api/robots/:id: Update robot details.

• DELETE /api/robots/:id: Delete a robot (only if not assigned to games).

Game APIs

• GET /api/games: Get a list of games (filterable by robot, student, status).

• GET /api/games/:id: Get details and moves of a specific game.

• POST /api/games: Create a new game and assign a robot.

• PUT /api/games/:id: Update game status or info.

• DELETE /api/games/:id: Delete a game and release the robot.

Move APIs

• GET /api/moves/game/:gameId: Get all moves for a game.

• GET /api/moves/:id: Get a specific move.

• POST /api/moves: Add a move to a game.

• PUT /api/moves/:id: Update a move.

• DELETE /api/moves/:id: Delete a move.

Statistics APIs

• GET /api/stats: Get overall system statistics.

• GET /api/stats/robots: Get statistics per robot.

• GET /api/stats/students: Get statistics per student.

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Folder Structure

backend/
├── controllers/     # API logic for each entity
├── models/          # Mongoose models (Robot, Game, Move)
├── routes/          # Route definitions
├── middleware/      # Custom middleware (e.g., error handling, validation)
├── config/          # Configuration and DB connection
├── .env             # Environment variables
├── server.js        # Server entry point

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Environment Variables

The following variables must be defined in your .env file:

Variable	Description
PORT	Port on which the server will run
NODE_ENV	Environment (e.g., development, production)
MONGO_URI	MongoDB connection string

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Contact

For any questions or issues, please contact: +216 55253276 [email protected]