Feature/course categories

.env.example

@@ -20,12 +20,11 @@ CLOUDINARY_URL=cloudinary://api_key:api_secret@cloud_name
 
 # EmailJS configuration for sending emails
 EMAILJS_API_URL=https://api.emailjs.com/api/v1.0/email/send
-EMAILJS_PRIVATE_KEY=your_private_key
-EMAILJS_PUBLIC_KEY=your_public_key
-EMAILJS_SERVICE_ID=your_service_id
-EMAILJS_TEMPLATE_ID=your_template_id
-
-# Stellar blockchain network (testnet or mainnet)
+EMAILJS_PRIVATE_KEY=your_emailjs_private_key
+EMAILJS_PUBLIC_KEY=your_emailjs_public_key
+EMAILJS_SERVICE_ID=your_emailjs_service_id
+EMAILJS_TEMPLATE_ID=your_emailjs_template_id
+EMAILJS_RECEIPT_TEMPLATE_ID=your_emailjs_receipt_template_id
 STELLAR_NETWORK=testnet
 
 # Resilient Horizon Client Configuration (Optional)
@@ -46,20 +45,8 @@ PLATFORM_WALLET_PUBLIC_KEY=GXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 ACCESS_TOKEN_TTL=15m
 REFRESH_TOKEN_TTL=30d
 
-# Redis Configuration (optional - app works without Redis but with reduced performance)
-# Option 1: Use REDIS_URL for full connection string (recommended for cloud services)
-# REDIS_URL=redis://username:password@host:port
-
-# Option 2: Use separate credentials
-REDIS_HOST=localhost
-REDIS_PORT=6379
-# REDIS_USERNAME=default
-# REDIS_PASSWORD=your_password
+# Durable Mongo-backed background jobs (tests use inline)
+JOBS_ENABLED=true
+QUEUE_DRIVER=mongo
+JOBS_DASHBOARD_TOKEN=replace_with_a_long_random_token
 
-# Jitsi configuration for video calls (optional)
-# JITSI_MEET_DOMAIN=your_jitsi_domain
-# JITSI_APP_ID=your_app_id
-# JITSI_PRIVATE_KEY=your_private_key
-# JITSI_PUBLIC_KEY_ID=your_public_key_id
-# JITSI_KID=your_kid
-# JITSI_TENANT=your_tenant

README.md

@@ -78,9 +78,22 @@ The API runs at `http://localhost:5000`.
 | `JWT_SECRET` | Secret for signing tokens (32+ chars) |
 | `STELLAR_NETWORK` | `testnet` or `mainnet` |
 | `CLOUDINARY_*` | Cloudinary credentials for media uploads |
+| `QUEUE_DRIVER` | `mongo` (durable production default) or `inline` (tests/CI) |
+| `JOBS_ENABLED` | Start background workers; defaults to `true` |
+| `JOBS_DASHBOARD_TOKEN` | Bearer token protecting `/admin/jobs` |
 
 See `.env.example` for the full list.
 
+### Background jobs
+
+Slow email and Stellar verification work uses the thin `src/jobs/queue.js`
+abstraction. The production `mongo` driver persists jobs in the mandatory
+MongoDB deployment, so work and idempotency keys survive restarts without
+making optional Redis a new requirement. The `inline` driver uses the same
+handlers in tests and CI. Jobs retry with exponential backoff and jitter,
+terminal failures are queryable at `/admin/jobs/dead`, and the token-protected
+dashboard is available at `/admin/jobs`.
+
 ### Scripts
 
 | Command | Purpose |
@@ -89,6 +102,7 @@ See `.env.example` for the full list.
 | `npm start` | Start in production mode |
 | `npm test` | Run the Jest + Supertest suite |
 | `npm run seed` | Seed sample data |
+| `npm run seed:categories` | Idempotent migration/seed script to populate initial categories based on current course categories |
 
 ## 🔗 API Overview
 

app.js

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import cookieParser from "cookie-parser";
 import compression from "compression";
 import dotenv from "dotenv";
 import crypto from "crypto";
+import "./src/jobs/handlers.js";
 
 dotenv.config();
 
@@ -43,6 +44,8 @@ import stellarWalletRoutes from "./src/routes/stellar/walletRoutes.js";
 import stellarPaymentRoutes from "./src/routes/stellar/paymentRoutes.js";
 import stellarDonationRoutes from "./src/routes/stellar/donationRoutes.js";
 import payoutRoutes from "./src/routes/payoutRoutes.js";
+import jobsRoutes from "./src/routes/jobsRoutes.js";
+import categoryRoutes from "./src/routes/categoryRoutes.js";
 
 handleUncaughtException();
 validateEnv();
@@ -165,6 +168,7 @@ app.use("/api", apiLimiter);
 app.use("/api/auth", authLimiter, authRoutes);
 
 // Other API routes
+app.use("/api/categories", categoryRoutes);
 app.use("/api/courses", courseRoutes);
 app.use("/api/reels", reelsRoute);
 app.use("/api/books", bookRoutes);
@@ -179,6 +183,7 @@ app.use("/api/stellar/wallet", stellarWalletRoutes);
 app.use("/api/stellar/payment", stellarPaymentRoutes);
 app.use("/api/stellar/donation", stellarDonationRoutes);
 app.use("/api/payouts", payoutRoutes);
+app.use("/admin/jobs", jobsRoutes);
 
 // ======================
 // ERROR HANDLING

package.json

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
     "test": "node --experimental-vm-modules node_modules/jest/bin/jest.js --forceExit",
     "start": "node server.js",
     "dev": "nodemon server.js",
-    "seed": "node src/scripts/seedDatabase.js",
+    "seed:categories": "node src/scripts/seedCategories.js",
     "test-redis": "node test-redis.js",
     "payouts:audit": "node src/scripts/auditPayouts.js"
   },

server.js

@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import app from "./app.js";
 import logger from "./src/config/logger.js";
 import { initRedis, closeRedis } from "./src/config/redis.js";
+import { startJobs, stopJobs } from "./src/jobs/queue.js";
+import "./src/jobs/handlers.js";
 
 const PORT = process.env.PORT || 5000;
 
@@ -18,13 +20,17 @@ const server = app.listen(PORT, () => {
   logger.info(`Process ID: ${process.pid}`);
 });
 
+startJobs().catch((err) => logger.error(err, "Background job startup failed"));
+
 // Graceful shutdown
 const gracefulShutdown = async (signal) => {
   logger.info(`${signal} received. Starting graceful shutdown...`);
 
   server.close(async () => {
     logger.info("HTTP server closed");
 
+    await stopJobs();
+
     // Close Redis connection
     await closeRedis();
 

services/emails/sendMail.js

@@ -1,26 +1,27 @@
 import axios from "axios";
 import logger from "../../src/config/logger.js";
 
-const EMAILJS_SERVICE_ID = process.env.EMAILJS_SERVICE_ID || "service_5cyu19r";
-const EMAILJS_TEMPLATE_ID = process.env.EMAILJS_TEMPLATE_ID || "template_ph4f0rl";
-const EMAILJS_PRIVATE_KEY = process.env.EMAILJS_PRIVATE_KEY || "xsR_t0uapauk8d_6Tk0Y9";
-const EMAILJS_PUBLIC_KEY = process.env.EMAILJS_PUBLIC_KEY || "p_hFoYPb6o0w7206-";
+const EMAILJS_SERVICE_ID = process.env.EMAILJS_SERVICE_ID;
+const EMAILJS_TEMPLATE_ID = process.env.EMAILJS_TEMPLATE_ID;
+const EMAILJS_RECEIPT_TEMPLATE_ID = process.env.EMAILJS_RECEIPT_TEMPLATE_ID || EMAILJS_TEMPLATE_ID;
+const EMAILJS_PRIVATE_KEY = process.env.EMAILJS_PRIVATE_KEY;
+const EMAILJS_PUBLIC_KEY = process.env.EMAILJS_PUBLIC_KEY;
 const EMAILJS_API_URL = process.env.EMAILJS_API_URL || "https://api.emailjs.com/api/v1.0/email/send";
 
-const sendMail = async (otp, email) => {
-  if (!email || !otp) {
-    throw new Error("Email and OTP are required to send the email.");
+const sendTemplate = async (templateId, email, templateParams) => {
+  if (
+    process.env.NODE_ENV !== "test" &&
+    (!EMAILJS_SERVICE_ID || !templateId || !EMAILJS_PUBLIC_KEY)
+  ) {
+    throw new Error("EmailJS environment variables are not configured");
   }
-  logger.info(`Sending OTP email to: ${email}`);
   try {
     const response = await axios.post(EMAILJS_API_URL, {
       service_id: EMAILJS_SERVICE_ID,
-      template_id: EMAILJS_TEMPLATE_ID,
+      template_id: templateId,
       user_id: EMAILJS_PUBLIC_KEY,
-      template_params: {
-        "otp": otp,
-        "email": email,
-      },
+      accessToken: EMAILJS_PRIVATE_KEY,
+      template_params: { ...templateParams, email },
     });
     return { status: response.status, text: response.statusText };
   } catch (error) {
@@ -29,4 +30,18 @@ const sendMail = async (otp, email) => {
   }
 };
 
+export const sendOtpEmail = async (otp, email) => {
+  if (!email || !otp) throw new Error("Email and OTP are required to send the email.");
+  logger.info(`Sending OTP email to: ${email}`);
+  return sendTemplate(EMAILJS_TEMPLATE_ID, email, { otp });
+};
+
+export const sendReceiptEmail = async (receipt) => {
+  if (!receipt.email || !receipt.txHash) throw new Error("Receipt email and transaction hash are required");
+  logger.info(`Sending receipt for ${receipt.txHash} to: ${receipt.email}`);
+  return sendTemplate(EMAILJS_RECEIPT_TEMPLATE_ID, receipt.email, receipt);
+};
+
+const sendMail = sendOtpEmail;
+
 export default sendMail;

src/config/validateEnv.js

@@ -24,17 +24,10 @@ const optionalEnvVars = [
   "PAYOUT_ADMIN_USER_IDS",
   "ACCESS_TOKEN_TTL",
   "REFRESH_TOKEN_TTL",
-  // Redis configuration (optional - app works without Redis)
-  "REDIS_URL",
-  "REDIS_HOST",
-  "REDIS_PORT",
-  "REDIS_USERNAME",
-  "REDIS_PASSWORD",
-  "HORIZON_URLS",
-  "HORIZON_TIMEOUT_MS",
-  "HORIZON_MAX_RETRIES",
-  "HORIZON_CB_THRESHOLD",
-  "HORIZON_CB_COOLDOWN_MS",
+  "QUEUE_DRIVER",
+  "JOBS_ENABLED",
+  "JOBS_DASHBOARD_TOKEN",
+  "EMAILJS_RECEIPT_TEMPLATE_ID",
 ];
 
 export const validateEnv = () => {

src/controllers/authController.js

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import Session from "../models/Session.js";
 import sendMail from "../../services/emails/sendMail.js";
 import { generatedOtp } from "../routes/emailRoutes.js";
 import logger from "../config/logger.js";
+import { enqueue } from "../jobs/queue.js";
 
 import { catchAsync, APIError } from "../middlewares/errorHandler.js";
 
@@ -111,14 +112,6 @@ export const registerUser = catchAsync(async (req, res, next) => {
     return next(new APIError("Email already exists", 400));
   }
 
-  // Send OTP email
-  try {
-    await sendMail(generatedOtp, email);
-    logger.info(`📧 OTP sent to: ${email}`);
-  } catch (error) {
-    logger.error(`Email sending failed for: ${email}`, error);
-  }
-
   // Hash password
   const hashedPassword = await bcrypt.hash(password, 12);
 
@@ -130,6 +123,12 @@ export const registerUser = catchAsync(async (req, res, next) => {
     role: role || "student",
   });
 
+  await enqueue(
+    "sendOtpEmail",
+    { userId: user._id.toString(), otp: generatedOtp },
+    { attempts: 5, backoffMs: 1000, idempotencyKey: `otp:${user._id}:${generatedOtp}` }
+  );
+
   logger.info(`✅ User registered successfully: ${email} (ID: ${user._id})`);
 
   // Generate session and tokens