Connect-to-World - Personalized News Hub

Connect-to-World is a personalized news hub that delivers curated news articles to users based on their interests. This project utilizes a public news API, GNews, to fetch news articles and employs a full-stack approach, combining React.js for the front-end, Node.js for the back-end, and MongoDB for the database. This README provides comprehensive instructions on setting up, running, and understanding the architecture of the application.

Features

• User Registration and Authentication: Users can securely register and log in to their accounts.
• Interest Selection: Users can select and update their areas of interest such as technology, sports, politics, and health.
• News Feed: The platform displays a dynamic feed of news articles tailored to the user's chosen interests.
• Article Saving: Users can save articles to their account for later reading.
• Article Recommendation: The system suggests articles based on the user's reading history and preferences.

Prerequisites

• Node.js installed
• MongoDB installed and running
• Git installed
• GNews API key

Setup

1. Clone the Repository:

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/connect-to-world.git
   cd connect-to-world
   

2. Install Dependencies:

   cd frontend
   npm install
   cd ../backend
   npm install
   

3. Environment Variables: Create a .env file in the backend directory with the following content:

   DB_URL=mongodb://localhost:27017/connect-to-world
   GNEWS_API_KEY=your_gnews_api_key
   

4. Database Setup: Make sure your MongoDB instance is running. The application will use the connect-to-world database.

5. Run the Application: Open two terminal windows:

   # Terminal 1 - Frontend
   cd frontend
   npm start
   
   # Terminal 2 - Backend
   cd backend
   npm start
   

6. Access the application at http://localhost:3000.

Architecture

• Front-end: Developed using React.js, providing a user-friendly and responsive UI.
• Back-end: Built with Node.js, handling authentication, API interactions, and article recommendations.
• Database: Utilizes MongoDB to store user data, preferences, and saved articles.
• APIs: The back-end exposes RESTful APIs for communication between the front-end and the database.
• Version Control: The project uses Git for version control, hosted on GitHub.

Decisions and Considerations

• Front-end Framework: React.js was chosen for its component-based architecture and efficient rendering.
• Back-end Framework: Node.js was selected due to its non-blocking I/O and suitability for building scalable APIs.
• Database Choice: MongoDB, a NoSQL database, was opted for its flexibility in handling diverse data types.
• GNews API: The GNews API provides a wide range of news articles to fulfill the project's requirements.
• Version Control: Git simplifies collaboration and version tracking among team members.