LifeLine

Your AI‑powered mental health companion

Check in. Get support. Feel better.

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Table of Contents

1. Features
2. Tech Stack
3. Monorepo Structure
4. Prerequisites
5. Quick Start
6. Environment Variables
7. Run Locally
8. Build & Deploy
9. API Endpoints (Summary)
10. Security & Privacy
11. Troubleshooting
12. Contributing
13. License

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Features

• Daily Mood Check‑in with optional journaling
• Personalized Wellness Plan (mindfulness, movement, affirmations)
• 24/7 Crisis Support (hotlines, text lines, grounding & breathing exercises)
• Community Hub with anonymous posting and themed groups
• Curated Resources (articles, podcasts, videos with summaries)
• Privacy by Design: encryption, anonymous mode, data export/delete

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Tech Stack

Frontend

• React + Vite (or CRA) and Tailwind CSS
• React Router

Backend

• Node.js + Express
• JSON Web Tokens (JWT) for auth
• MongoDB (Mongoose) for data

AI/Personalization

• Lightweight rules + optional LLM prompts for activity suggestions

Infra

• Vercel (frontend)
• Render/Heroku/Fly.io (backend)
• MongoDB Atlas (database)
• GitHub (CI/CD)

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Monorepo Structure

lifeline/
├─ client/                 # React + Tailwind UI
│  ├─ src/
│  ├─ index.html
│  ├─ vite.config.ts
│  └─ package.json
├─ server/                 # Node/Express API
│  ├─ src/
│  │  ├─ index.ts         # app bootstrap
│  │  ├─ routes/
│  │  ├─ controllers/
│  │  ├─ models/
│  │  └─ middleware/
│  └─ package.json
├─ .env.example            # root env template (optional)
└─ README.md

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Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ and npm 9+ (or pnpm/yarn)
• MongoDB Atlas account (or local MongoDB)
• (Optional) Vercel account for hosting the client
• (Optional) Render/Heroku/Fly.io for hosting the server

Verify versions: node -v and npm -v

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Quick Start

# 1) Clone
git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/lifeline.git
cd lifeline

# 2) Install deps
cd client && npm i && cd ..
cd server && npm i && cd ..

# 3) Copy envs from templates
cp client/.env.example client/.env
cp server/.env.example server/.env

# 4) Run dev (two terminals)
npm run dev -w client
npm run dev -w server

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Environment Variables

Create .env files in client/ and server/.

client/.env (Vite)

VITE_API_BASE_URL=https://localhost:5001
VITE_APP_NAME=LifeLine
VITE_ENABLE_ANON_MODE=true

server/.env

PORT=5001
NODE_ENV=development
MONGODB_URI=mongodb+srv://<user>:<pass>@cluster0.xxxxx.mongodb.net/lifeline
JWT_SECRET=change_me_to_a_long_random_string
CORS_ORIGIN=http://localhost:5173
# Optional provider keys (if you enable LLM prompts)
OPENAI_API_KEY=
COHERE_API_KEY=

Tip: Never commit real .env files. Keep .env.example with placeholders.

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Run Locally

1) Frontend (client)

cd client
npm run dev            # starts Vite dev server (default http://localhost:5173)
npm run build          # production build
npm run preview        # preview production build locally

2) Backend (server)

cd server
npm run dev            # starts nodemon on http://localhost:5001
npm run start          # start without nodemon
npm run lint           # lint server code

3) Example API smoke check

curl http://localhost:5001/health
# => { "ok": true }

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Build & Deploy

Frontend → Vercel

1. Push the repo to GitHub.
2. Import the client/ folder in Vercel → Project Settings → Root Directory = client.
3. Environment → add VITE_API_BASE_URL pointing to your deployed server.
4. Deploy. Vercel will auto-detect Vite/React and build.

Backend → Render/Heroku (example: Render)

1. Create a new Web Service from your GitHub repo.
2. Root directory: server
3. Build command: npm install && npm run build
4. Start command: npm run start
5. Add env vars from server/.env (especially MONGODB_URI, JWT_SECRET).
6. After deploy, copy the public URL and set VITE_API_BASE_URL in Vercel to this URL.

Database → MongoDB Atlas

1. Create a Cluster → Database Access → add database user
2. Network Access → allow your server’s IP or 0.0.0.0/0 (dev only)
3. Get connection string and place in MONGODB_URI.

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API Endpoints (Summary)

GET   /health                            # service health
POST  /auth/register
POST  /auth/login

# Mood & Journal
GET   /mood                              # list entries (auth)
POST  /mood                              # create entry {rating, note}

# Wellness Plan
GET   /plan/today                        # personalized activities
POST  /plan/complete/:activityId         # mark done

# Community (anonymous supported)
GET   /community/groups
GET   /community/posts?groupId=...
POST  /community/posts                   # {groupId, text}

# Resources
GET   /resources                         # curated list w/ types & ratings

Routes are illustrative; adjust to your implementation.

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Security & Privacy

• All user data encrypted at rest (database) and in transit (HTTPS)
• JWTs scoped & short‑lived; refresh flow recommended
• Anonymous Mode: strip identifiers from community posts
• Data Portability: export & delete my data endpoints
• Role‑based access for future therapist/coach features

Important: Include crisis disclaimers and provide 24/7 hotlines. This app does not replace professional care.

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Troubleshooting

• CORS errors: ensure CORS_ORIGIN matches your client URL
• Mongo connection fails: check IP allow‑list and credentials
• 401/403: missing/expired JWT; log in again
• Vercel 404 on refresh: enable SPA fallback or set vercel.json rewrites
• Render cold starts: consider Pro plan or keep‑alive pings

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Contributing

1. Fork the repo & create a feature branch
2. Write clear commit messages
3. Add/update tests where feasible
4. Open a PR with screenshots and a short demo

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License

MIT ©