DealDrop - Modern E-commerce Platform

A full-stack e-commerce platform built with React, Node.js, and MongoDB.

🚀 Deployment Guide (Render - Unified Hosting)

This project is optimized for Unified Hosting, meaning both the Frontend and Backend run on a single Render Web Service.

1. Create a New Web Service

1. Connect your GitHub repository to Render.
2. Select Web Service (not Static Site).

2. Configure Service Settings

• Name: dealdrop
• Region: (Choose the one closest to your users)
• Runtime: Node
• Build Command: npm run build
• Start Command: npm start

3. Required Environment Variables

Add these in the Environment tab on Render:

Key	Value Note
NODE_ENV	production
MONGODB_URI	Your MongoDB Atlas connection string
JWT_SECRET	A secure random string
FRONTEND_URL	Your Render URL (e.g. https://dealdrop.onrender.com)
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME	From Cloudinary Dashboard
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY	From Cloudinary Dashboard
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET	From Cloudinary Dashboard
EMAIL_USER	dealdropecommerce@gmail.com
EMAIL_PASS	Your 16-character Google App Password
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY	Your Stripe Secret Key (sk_test...)
STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY	Your Stripe Public Key (pk_test...)

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🛠️ Local Development

1. Install All Dependencies: npm install (from root folder)
2. Run Both at Once: npm run dev
3. Internal URLs:
   • Frontend: http://localhost:5173
   • Backend API: http://localhost:5000/api

📁 Project Structure

• /backend: Node/Express Server & MongoDB Models.
• /frontend: React/Vite Application.
• /package.json: Root manager for building and hosting the unified app.