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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/Sufianeh7/AmigoInvisible/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

The Node.js backend reads all runtime configuration from environment variables using the dotenv package, which is loaded at the very top of index.js via require('dotenv').config(). The Angular frontend does not use any environment variables — every configuration value it needs (such as the backend API URL) is set directly in the source code at build time.

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Variable Reference

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MONGO_URI
string
required
MongoDB connection string used by Mongoose to connect to your database. This must point to a MongoDB Atlas cluster or a local MongoDB instance.Example:
mongodb+srv://user:pass@cluster.mongodb.net/amigoInvisible
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EMAIL_USER
string
required
The Gmail address used as the SMTP sender when dispatching Secret Santa assignment emails via Nodemailer.Example:
your.email@gmail.com
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EMAIL_PASS
string
required
A Gmail App Password — this is not your regular Google account password. It must be generated separately from your Google Account security settings. See the Gmail App Password section below for instructions.Example:
your_gmail_app_password
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PORT
number
default:"3000"
The HTTP port the Express server listens on when running locally. In Vercel’s serverless environment this variable is ignored — Vercel handles all routing and port binding automatically.Example:
3000
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NODE_ENV
string
Controls whether the Express HTTP server listener is started. When set to production, the app.listen() call in index.js is skipped entirely, because Vercel exports the app object directly as a serverless function handler. Leave this unset for local development so the server starts normally.Example:
production

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Local .env File

For local development, create a .env file inside the Node/ directory. The dotenv package reads this file automatically when the server starts.
Node/.env
MONGO_URI=mongodb+srv://<user>:<password>@cluster.mongodb.net/amigoInvisible
EMAIL_USER=your.email@gmail.com
EMAIL_PASS=your_gmail_app_password
PORT=3000
# NODE_ENV is intentionally omitted locally so app.listen() runs normally.
# Set NODE_ENV=production only in your Vercel project environment variables.
Never commit Node/.env to version control. It contains sensitive credentials that must remain private. The file should already be listed in .gitignore — double-check this before pushing to any public repository.

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MongoDB Setup

You have two options for running MongoDB: MongoDB Atlas (recommended) — Atlas is a fully managed cloud database with a free tier that is more than sufficient for personal Secret Santa groups. Sign up at mongodb.com/atlas, create a free cluster, and generate a connection string from the Connect dialog. The connection string follows this format: 
mongodb+srv://<username>:<password>@<cluster-name>.mongodb.net/amigoInvisible
Local MongoDB instance — If you prefer to run MongoDB locally (e.g. via the Community Server or Docker), set MONGO_URI to: 
mongodb://localhost:27017/amigoInvisible
Make sure your local MongoDB service is running before starting the Node.js server.
When using MongoDB Atlas, the connection string must include the database name at the end of the URI — /amigoInvisible in the examples above. Without it, Mongoose will store documents in a default database and your queries may return unexpected results. Including the name ensures all collections land in the correct amigoInvisible database automatically.

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Gmail App Password

Gmail’s SMTP server rejects standard account passwords when used by third-party apps. You must generate a dedicated App Password instead. To do this:
  1. Go to your Google Account at myaccount.google.com.
  2. Navigate to Security.
  3. Under How you sign in to Google, open 2-Step Verification (it must be enabled before App Passwords are available).
  4. Scroll to the bottom and select App Passwords.
  5. Choose a name for the app (e.g. Amigo Invisible) and click Create.
  6. Copy the 16-character password that appears and paste it as the value of EMAIL_PASS in your .env file.
This password grants Nodemailer permission to send emails on behalf of your Gmail account without exposing your main account password.

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