Auto-Grad

Auto-Grad is a full-stack application for creating, distributing, and grading assignments (including coding assignments). It includes a Node/Express backend that integrates with Google Cloud services and a React (Vite) frontend.

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Contents

• Backend: Backend — Express server, routes, controllers, Google Cloud service account files.
• Frontend: my-react-app — React + Vite SPA that talks to the backend.
• Uploads: uploads — stored assignment and submission files.

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Quick Start (local)

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18+ recommended)
• npm or yarn
• MongoDB Atlas or local MongoDB instance

Start the backend

1. Open a terminal and go to the backend folder:

cd Backend
npm install

2. Create a .env file in Backend/ (copy from any example if present) and set the following variables:

• MONGODB_URI — MongoDB connection string (required)
• PORT — optional, default 5000
• GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS — (recommended) path to your Google service account JSON if you use Google Cloud services. You can also keep the provided service-account.json (ensure it is not publicly shared).

Example .env:

MONGODB_URI=mongodb+srv://<user>:<password>@cluster0.mongodb.net/mydb
PORT=5000
GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS=./service-account.json

3. Run the server (development):

npm run dev

The backend listens on http://localhost:5000 by default.

Start the frontend

1. In a new terminal:

cd my-react-app
npm install
npm run dev

2. Open the app in the browser at the Vite-provided URL (usually http://localhost:5173).

If your backend runs on a different host/port, update my-react-app/src/api.js baseURL to point to the backend address.

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Environment / Credentials

• Backend expects MONGODB_URI in environment. See Backend/config/db.js.
• Google Cloud credentials: there are ai-assistance-...json and service-account.json in Backend/. To let Google client libraries pick them up set GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS to the JSON file path or provide credentials via your cloud provider's secret manager.
• For Vercel deployment, set the same environment variables in the Vercel project settings.

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API Overview

Base URL: http://localhost:5000

• Auth

  • POST /api/auth/register — register user
  • POST /api/auth/login — login
  • GET /api/auth/profile — get current user (auth required)

• Assignments

  • GET /api/assignments — list assignments

  • POST /api/assignments — create assignment (auth: teacher; supports file upload)

  • GET /api/assignments/:id — assignment detail

  • GET /api/assignments/:id/download/:fileType — download question/answer file

  • Coding assignment routes:

    • POST /api/assignments/coding — create coding assignment (teacher)
    • GET /api/assignments/coding/:id — get coding assignment by id

• Submissions

  • POST /api/submit/assignments/:assignmentId/submissions — upload or update a submission (student)
  • GET /api/submit/assignments/:assignmentId/student/:studentId — student's submission
  • GET /api/submit/assignments/:assignmentId/submissions — teacher: list submissions for assignment
  • PUT /api/submit/submissions/:id/grade — teacher grades submission
  • GET /api/submit/submissions/:id — submission detail
  • GET /api/submit/submissions/:id/download — download submission file

Refer to route files in Backend/routes for details and required fields.

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File Uploads

• Uploaded files are served statically from /uploads (see server.js).
• The repo contains an uploads/ folder with assignments and submissions subfolders.

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Development notes

• Run backend in dev with npm run dev (nodemon). Production start: npm start.
• The backend is configured with vercel.json to be deployable on Vercel as a Node serverless function. When deploying, add environment variables through the Vercel dashboard and securely upload any service account keys.
• Frontend uses my-react-app/src/api.js axios instance — update baseURL when backend URL changes.

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Project Structure (high level)

• Backend/ — Node/Express API

  • controllers/ — route handlers
  • models/ — Mongoose schemas
  • routes/ — Express routers
  • middleware/ — auth, upload, error handler
  • config/ — DB + cloud config

• my-react-app/ — React frontend (Vite)

• uploads/ — runtime file storage

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Deployment

• Frontend: can be deployed on Vercel or Netlify from my-react-app build output (npm run build).
• Backend: vercel.json present in Backend/ — configure environment variables in Vercel and deploy the Backend directory as a project. Alternatively deploy to any Node host (Heroku, DigitalOcean, etc.) ensuring MONGODB_URI and Google credentials are available.

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Contributing

1. Fork and create a branch for your feature/fix.
2. Run the app locally and add tests where appropriate.
3. Open a pull request with a clear description.

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License

Add a license as appropriate for your project.

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If you'd like, I can also:

• Add example .env.example files for Backend and Frontend
• Add scripts to package.json for convenience
• Create a short CONTRIBUTING.md and LICENSE file

Thanks — tell me which additional docs you'd like me to add or modify.