Developer Onboarding Guide Creation

# Alpha Engineering Onboarding Guide for New Developers **Welcome to the Alpha Engineering Team!** We’re excited to have you join us in building and improving our **E-commerce Platform**. This document will guide you through the onboarding process, providing all the information you need to get up to speed and start contributing to the project efficiently. ## 1. Introduction to the Project ### **Project Overview** The **E-commerce Platform** is an online marketplace designed to support large-scale product catalogs, user reviews, payments, and order management. We aim to create a seamless shopping experience, emphasizing performance, security, and scalability. ### **Project Objectives** - **Enhance User Experience**: Provide fast, intuitive, and responsive interfaces for browsing and purchasing products. - **Scalability**: Ensure the platform can handle growing traffic and a large user base. - **Reliability & Security**: Safeguard user data and ensure secure transactions. - **Continuous Improvement**: Continuously deploy updates with new features and bug fixes. ## 2. Overview of the Tech Stack Our platform uses the **MERN stack**: MongoDB, Express.js, React, and Node.js, along with a few other key tools and libraries to streamline development and improve performance. - **Frontend**: - **React**: Our frontend is built with React. We use **React Router** for navigation and **Redux** for state management. - **CSS-in-JS (Styled Components)**: We use this to manage component styling dynamically. - **Backend**: - **Node.js**: The server-side is built with Node.js, using **Express.js** as the web framework for building REST APIs. - **MongoDB**: A NoSQL database for handling large sets of structured and unstructured data. - **Mongoose**: An ODM (Object Data Modeling) library for MongoDB, allowing us to interact with the database using schemas and models. - **Tools & Libraries**: - **Axios**: For making HTTP requests from the frontend to the backend API. - **JWT (JSON Web Tokens)**: For authentication and authorization. - **Babel**: For ES6+ JavaScript transpilation. - **Webpack**: For bundling our JavaScript files efficiently. - **ESLint & Prettier**: For code linting and formatting. - **Jest**: For unit testing in both frontend and backend. ## 3. Development Environment Setup ### Step-by-Step Setup Instructions #### 1. **Prerequisites** Make sure you have the following installed on your machine: - **Node.js** (v14+): [Download here](https://nodejs.org/). - **MongoDB**: [Download MongoDB Community Edition](https://www.mongodb.com/try/download/community). - **Git**: [Download Git](https://git-scm.com/downloads). #### 2. **Set up your Development Environment** We recommend **Visual Studio Code (VS Code)** as the code editor. Download it [here](https://code.visualstudio.com/download). Install the following VS Code extensions: - **ESLint** - **Prettier - Code formatter** - **React snippets** - **GitLens** #### 3. **Clone the Repository** ```bash git clone https://github.com/AlphaEngineering/ecommerce-platform.git cd ecommerce-platform ``` #### 4. **Install Dependencies** In the project directory, install the necessary Node.js dependencies: ```bash npm install ``` #### 5. **Set up Environment Variables** In the root of the project, create a `.env` file using the provided `.env.example` as a template. Add the appropriate MongoDB connection string, API keys, and other configuration details. #### 6. **Run MongoDB Locally** Ensure that MongoDB is running locally by starting the MongoDB service: ```bash mongod ``` #### 7. **Run the Application** Start both the frontend and backend servers with the following commands: - **Frontend**: ```bash npm run start:frontend ``` - **Backend**: ```bash npm run start:backend ``` Both will be accessible at the following URLs: - Frontend: `http://localhost:3000` - Backend API: `http://localhost:5000/api` #### 8. **Version Control with Git** Make sure you're working on the correct branch. Follow this workflow: 1. Pull the latest changes from the `main` branch. 2. Create a feature branch: ```bash git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name ``` 3. Commit your changes regularly and push to the remote repository: ```bash git add . git commit -m "Your commit message" git push origin feature/your-feature-name ``` ## 4. Codebase Walkthrough ### Folder Structure Overview ``` /ecommerce-platform │ ├── /frontend # React app │ ├── /src │ │ ├── /components # Reusable UI components │ │ ├── /pages # Page components for different routes │ │ ├── /redux # State management (actions, reducers, store) │ │ ├── /utils # Utility functions │ │ └── /services # API requests using Axios │ └── package.json │ ├── /backend # Node.js app │ ├── /models # Mongoose models │ ├── /controllers # Business logic for routes │ ├── /routes # API routes │ ├── /middleware # Custom middlewares (e.g., authentication) │ └── server.js # Main entry point for the backend server │ └── .env.example # Environment variable sample ``` ### Key Files and Modules - **frontend/src/redux/store.js**: Configures the Redux store for managing global state. - **backend/models/User.js**: Mongoose schema for the User collection in MongoDB. - **backend/middleware/auth.js**: Middleware for verifying user authentication tokens. - **backend/routes/products.js**: API routes for managing products (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE). ## 5. Best Practices ### **Code Writing** - Follow **ESLint** rules and use **Prettier** for consistent code formatting. - Organize components into reusable pieces to maintain a modular structure. - Keep components small and focused. Each component should serve a single purpose. - For API calls, use the centralized services folder. ### **Testing** - Write unit tests for key functionalities using **Jest** and **React Testing Library**. - Ensure API endpoints have proper coverage with backend tests. - Run tests locally before pushing code. ### **Committing Code** - Write meaningful commit messages (e.g., `Fix checkout error in cart module`). - Keep commits small and atomic; do not bundle unrelated changes. - Before opening a pull request, ensure your feature is working and the code is well-tested. ## 6. Resources for Further Learning - **React Documentation**: [https://reactjs.org/docs/getting-started.html](https://reactjs.org/docs/getting-started.html) - **Node.js Documentation**: [https://nodejs.org/en/docs/](https://nodejs.org/en/docs/) - **MongoDB Documentation**: [https://docs.mongodb.com/](https://docs.mongodb.com/) - **Redux Documentation**: [https://redux.js.org/](https://redux.js.org/) - **Jest Testing**: [https://jestjs.io/docs/getting-started](https://jestjs.io/docs/getting-started) We also have an internal **Wiki** on our company intranet with in-depth guides, including onboarding videos and FAQs. ## 7. Communication Plan - **Daily Standups**: 10 AM UTC, on Zoom. We discuss progress, blockers, and tasks for the day. - **Slack Channels**: - **#alpha-eng-general**: General engineering discussion. - **#alpha-eng-help**: For seeking help or advice. - **#alpha-eng-reviews**: For code review requests. - **Code Reviews**: After opening a pull request, request reviews from at least one senior developer. Follow up with discussions on **Slack** if needed. ## 8. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) & Milestones During your first few weeks, we’ll assess your progress through these milestones: - **Week 1**: Successfully set up the development environment and understand the codebase. - **Week 2**: Complete a small bug fix or improvement and submit a pull request. - **Week 4**: Work on a minor feature or module independently and deploy it to staging. We expect you to have a good grasp of the system and start contributing meaningfully by the end of your first month. --- **We’re thrilled to have you on board, and we’re here to support you throughout the onboarding process. Let’s build something amazing together!**