School Management System API

Overview

This project is a School Management System API built using the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express.js, Node.js). The API manages students, teachers, and classes, supports uploading profile images to Cloudinary, and provides JWT-based authentication with role-based access control.

Features

• Authentication: Register and log in as a student, teacher, or class, with JWT-based authentication.
• Role-Based Access Control:
  • Students: Access studentRoutes only.
  • Teachers: Access teacherRoutes only.
  • Classes: Access classRoutes only.
• Profile Image Upload: Use form-data to upload student and teacher profile images to Cloudinary.
• CRUD operations for:
  • Students (create, read, update, delete).
  • Teachers (create, read, update, delete).
  • Classes (create, read, update, delete).

---

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following installed:

• Node.js (v14 or later)
• npm (Node Package Manager)
• MongoDB (running locally or on a cloud service like MongoDB Atlas)
• Cloudinary account

---

Getting Started

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/TheMarvelFan/school-management-system.git
cd school-management-system

2. Install Dependencies

Run the following command to install the required dependencies:

npm install

3. Configure Environment Variables

An env file is already present in the project. Make sure to adjust the MongoDB URI (and the port number of the project) if you are using a different port.

Replace MONGO_URI with your MongoDB connection string, and add your Cloudinary credentials.

4. Start the Server

Run the server locally:

npm start

The server will start at http://localhost:5000 (or a port number specified by you).

---

Using the API Locally with Postman

1. Register a User

To use the API, you need to register as a student, teacher, or class.

Endpoint:
POST /api/auth/register

Body (JSON):

{
  "role": "student", // or "teacher", or "class"
  "name": "John Doe",
  "email": "[email protected]",
  "password": "securepassword",
  "classId": "some-class-id", // Required for students
  "subject": "Math" // Required for teachers
}

2. Log in as a User

Log in to receive a JWT token.

Endpoint:
POST /api/auth/login

Body (JSON):

{
  "role": "student", // or "teacher", or "class"
  "email": "[email protected]",
  "password": "securepassword"
}

Response:

{
  "token": "your_jwt_token",
  "role": "student"
}

Important: Copy the token from the response to use it for authenticated requests.

---

3. Set Up Authorization in Postman

For all authenticated requests:

1. Go to the Authorization tab in Postman.
2. Select Bearer Token.
3. Paste the token you received from the login response.

---

4. Access Routes Based on Role

Student Routes

Method	Endpoint	Description	Body Type
POST	/api/students	Add a new student	form-data
GET	/api/students	Get all students	None
GET	/api/students/:id	Get a student by ID	None
PUT	/api/students/:id	Update a student	form-data
DELETE	/api/students/:id	Soft delete a student	None

Note: Use form-data to upload the profileImage field for creating or updating a student.

Teacher Routes

Method	Endpoint	Description	Body Type
POST	/api/teachers	Add a new teacher	form-data
GET	/api/teachers	Get all teachers	None
GET	/api/teachers/:id	Get a teacher by ID	None
PUT	/api/teachers/:id	Update a teacher	form-data
DELETE	/api/teachers/:id	Soft delete a teacher	None

Note: Use form-data to upload the profileImage field for creating or updating a teacher.

Class Routes

Method	Endpoint	Description	Body Type
POST	/api/classes	Create a class	JSON
GET	/api/classes	Get all classes	None
GET	/api/classes/:id	Get a class by ID	None
PUT	/api/classes/:id	Update a class	JSON
DELETE	/api/classes/:id	Delete a class	None

---

5. Manage JWT Tokens

• After registering and logging in, you will receive a JWT token in the response.
• Use this token to authenticate all API requests by adding it to the Authorization header in the format:

  Authorization: Bearer <your_jwt_token>
  

6. Testing with Form-Data

For endpoints that require file uploads, set the body type in Postman to form-data:

1. Add the key profileImage (type: File).
2. Choose an image file to upload.
3. Add other fields like name, email, etc., as required.

---

Project Folder Structure

school-management-system/
├── config/
│   ├── cloudinary.js          # Cloudinary configuration
│   ├── db.js                  # MongoDB connection
├── controllers/
│   ├── authController.js      # Authentication logic
│   ├── studentController.js   # Student CRUD logic
│   ├── teacherController.js   # Teacher CRUD logic
│   ├── classController.js     # Class CRUD logic
├── middlewares/
│   ├── authMiddleware.js      # JWT and role-based middleware
│   ├── errorHandler.js        # Error-handling middleware
├── models/
│   ├── Student.js             # Student schema
│   ├── Teacher.js             # Teacher schema
│   ├── Class.js               # Class schema
├── routes/
│   ├── authRoutes.js          # Routes for authentication
│   ├── studentRoutes.js       # Routes for students
│   ├── teacherRoutes.js       # Routes for teachers
│   ├── classRoutes.js         # Routes for classes
├── .env                       # Environment variables
├── app.js                     # Entry point for the application
├── package.json               # Dependencies and scripts

---

Additional Notes

• Error Handling: Common errors such as invalid data, duplicate entries, and unauthorized access are handled.
• Soft Deletes: Deleted students and teachers are marked as inactive rather than removed from the database.

---

Conclusion

This project provides a fully functional backend for managing a school system, supporting authentication, file uploads, and role-based access control. Use tools like Postman to test and interact with the API. For further enhancements, consider adding features like attendance tracking and exam results management.