Review Book React Application - Setup Guide

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure that you have the following installed:

• Node.js (LTS version recommended):
  Download here

• Visual Studio (for API Server setup):
  Download here

• SQL Server Express (or any SQL Server instance):
  Download SQL Server Express here

• .NET SDK (for the backend API):
  Download .NET SDK here

Steps to Set Up the Project

1. Clone the Repository

• Begin by cloning the repository to your local machine using Git.

  git clone https://github.com/Viraj5903/book-review-app.git

2. Set Up the API Server (Backend)

1. Open the Book Reviews API Project in Visual Studio

   • Launch Visual Studio and open the BookReviewsAPI project.

2. Install Required NuGet Packages

   • Open the Package Manager Console in Visual Studio by navigating to Tools > NuGet Package Manager > Package Manager Console.

   • Run the following commands to install necessary packages for Entity Framework Core and SQL Server support:

     Install-Package Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Tools
     Install-Package Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.SqlServer

3. Update the Database

   • In the Package Manager Console, run the following command to apply any pending migrations and update your local database (LocalDB) schema:

     Update-Database

4. (Optional) Use a SQL Server Instance Instead of LocalDB

   • By default, the backend API is configured to use LocalDB. If you'd like to use a SQL Server instance instead, update the connection string in the appsettings.json file.

   • Open appsettings.json and modify the ConnectionStrings section as shown below:

     "ConnectionStrings": {
       "BookReviewDb": "Server=your-server-name;Database=your-database-name;User Id=your-username;Password=your-password;"
     }

   • Replace your-server-name, your-database-name, your-username, and your-password with your actual SQL Server instance details.

   • Run again the Update-Database command to apply the migrations to your SQL Server instance.

5. Build and Run the Backend API

   • After updating the database, build the project in Visual Studio and run the backend API.
   • To verify that the API is working correctly, open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:5000 (or the appropriate URL).

3. Set Up the Frontend (React Application)

1. Open the Book Review Project in Visual Studio Code

   • Navigate to the book-review-app folder (frontend folder) and open it in Visual Studio Code.

2. Install Project Dependencies

   • Open the terminal in Visual Studio Code and run the following command to install the project dependencies:

     npm install

3. Start the React Development Server

   • Once the dependencies are installed, start the React development server by running:

     npm start

4. Access the React Application

   • The React application should now be running and accessible at http://localhost:3000 in your web browser.

4. Running the Application

1. Backend: Ensure the API Server is Running

   • Verify that the API Server is running and accessible at its designated endpoint (typically http://localhost:5000).
   • If the backend is not running, ensure you have followed the steps to set it up correctly in Step 2.

2. Frontend: Run the React Application

   • The React frontend should now be running at http://localhost:3000.
   • Open a web browser and go to http://localhost:3000 to interact with the application and test its functionality.
   • Make sure the frontend can communicate with the backend and that all features work as expected.