Mental Buddy Backend API

A secure backend API for the Mental Buddy wellness application, providing OpenAI integration, Firebase authentication, and conversation logging.

Features

• 🤖 OpenAI Integration: GPT-4o model with multimodal support (text + images)
• 🔐 Firebase Authentication: Secure user authentication and profile management
• 🚨 Crisis Detection: Automatic detection of high-risk messages with helpline resources
• 📝 Conversation Logging: All conversations logged to Firestore for analysis
• 🛡️ Security: Token-based authentication and CORS protection

Setup

1. Install dependencies:

   npm install

2. Environment Configuration:

   • Copy env.example to .env
   • Fill in your API keys and configuration:
     • Gemini API key
     • Firebase service account credentials

3. Start the server:

   # Development mode with auto-reload
   npm run dev
   
   # Production mode
   npm start

API Endpoints

Generate Response

• POST /api/generate
• Generates empathetic AI responses using OpenAI GPT-4o
• Supports both text and image inputs
• Automatic crisis detection

Request Body:

{
  "message": "I feel stressed today",
  "messages": [
    {"role": "user", "content": "Previous message"},
    {"role": "assistant", "content": "Previous response"}
  ],
  "imageUrl": "https://example.com/image.jpg", // optional
  "userId": "user123" // optional, defaults to 'anonymous'
}

Response:

{
  "reply": "I understand you're feeling stressed. Would you like to try a breathing exercise?",
  "crisis": false,
  "timestamp": "2025-09-13T09:34:00Z"
}

Authentication Routes

• GET /api/auth/profile - Get user profile
• PUT /api/auth/profile - Update user profile
• GET /api/auth/conversations - Get conversation history

Health Check

• GET /health - Server health status

Crisis Detection

The API automatically detects crisis situations and responds with:

• Supportive message
• India helpline: 1800-599-0019
• International helpline: https://findahelpline.com/
• Crisis flag set to true

Environment Variables

See env.example for all required environment variables.

Security

• Firebase token verification for authenticated routes
• CORS protection
• Input validation and sanitization
• Error handling without sensitive data exposure

mhc-backend