YouTube Like Platform Backend ONGOING

A production-grade backend system for video streaming and content management.

Overview

The backend system provides a comprehensive API for managing video content, user authentication, streaming capabilities, and engagement features. The system handles video transcoding to multiple resolutions, asynchronous processing through job queues, real-time notifications via email, and secure user management with JWT authentication.

Technology Stack

• Runtime: Node.js
• Framework: Express
• Database: MongoDB (via Mongoose)
• Cache: Redis
• Storage: Cloudinary
• Message Queue: Bull (Redis-backed job queue)
• Video Processing: FFmpeg
• Authentication: JWT with refresh tokens
• Email: Nodemailer
• Utilities: bcryptjs for password hashing, ua-parser-js for device detection

Folder Structure

src/
├── config/
│   ├── welcome.config.js           # Welcome email template configuration
│   └── welcomeLogin.config.js      # Login notification email configuration
├── controllers/
│   ├── user_controller.js          # User authentication and profile management
│   ├── video_controller.js         # Video upload and management
│   ├── comment_controller.js       # Comment operations
│   ├── like_controller.js          # Like/unlike functionality
│   ├── playlist_controller.js      # Playlist management
│   └── plan_controller.js          # Subscription plan management
├── db/
│   └── index.js                    # MongoDB connection setup
├── middlewares/
│   ├── auth.middleware.js          # JWT verification middleware
│   ├── multer.middleware.js        # File upload handling
│   ├── email.middleware.js         # OTP and email operations
│   ├── deviceInformation.middleware.js # Device tracking
│   └── rateLimiter.middleware.js   # Request rate limiting
├── models/
│   ├── user_model.js               # User schema with authentication methods
│   ├── video_model.js              # Video metadata and URL storage
│   ├── comment_model.js            # Comment schema
│   ├── like_model.js               # Like tracking across content types
│   ├── playlist_model.js           # Playlist creation and management
│   ├── plan_model.js               # Subscription plan schema
│   ├── liveStream_model.js         # Live streaming configuration
│   ├── liveStreamChat_model.js     # Live stream chat messages
│   ├── liveStreamViewer_model.js   # Live stream viewer tracking
│   ├── subscription_model.js       # Channel subscription schema
│   ├── chat_model.js               # Direct messaging
│   ├── community_model.js          # Community posts
│   └── emailOtpVerification_model.js # OTP storage and verification
├── queues/
│   ├── video.queue.js              # Bull queue configuration for video processing
│   └── video.worker.js             # Video transcoding and optimization worker
├── routes/
│   ├── user.route.js               # User authentication endpoints
│   ├── emailOTP.route.js           # OTP verification endpoints
│   ├── video.route.js              # Video management endpoints
│   ├── comment.route.js            # Comment endpoints
│   ├── like.route.js               # Like toggle endpoints
│   ├── playlist.route.js           # Playlist endpoints
│   └── plan.route.js               # Plan selection endpoints
├── utils/
│   ├── ApiResponse.js              # Standard API response formatter
│   ├── ApiError.js                 # Custom error handler
│   ├── asyncHandeler.js            # Async error wrapper
│   ├── cloudinary.js               # Cloudinary upload configuration
│   └── redis.js                    # Redis connection setup
├── app.js                          # Express app configuration
├── index.js                        # Server entry point
├── constant.js                     # Database constants
└── redisClient.js                  # Redis client initialization

.env.example                        # Environment variables template
package.json                        # Project dependencies

Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js 16.0.0 or higher
• MongoDB 4.4 or higher (local or MongoDB Atlas)
• Redis 6.0 or higher
• FFmpeg installed on system
• Cloudinary account with API credentials
• Gmail account with app-specific password

Setup Instructions

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/<repository-name>.git

# Move into project directory
cd <repository-name>

# Add upstream remote
git remote add upstream https://github.com/<original-owner>/<repository-name>.git

# Install dependencies
npm install

Environment Configuration

Create a .env file in the root directory:

cp .env.example .env

Update .env with the following variables:

# Server
PORT=8000
CORS_ORIGIN=http://localhost:3000

# Database
MONGODB_URI=mongodb+srv://<username>:<password>@<cluster>.mongodb.net/

# Redis
REDIS_HOST=127.0.0.1
REDIS_PORT=6379

# Cloudinary (media storage)
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloudinary_cloud_name
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your_cloudinary_api_key
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your_cloudinary_api_secret

# Authentication
ACCESS_TOKEN_SECRET=your_secret_access_token_key
ACCESS_TOKEN_EXPIRY=1d
REFRESH_TOKEN_SECRET=your_secret_refresh_token_key
REFRESH_TOKEN_EXPIRY=15d
SALT_ROUND=10

# Email Service (Gmail SMTP)
AUTH_EMAIL=your-email@gmail.com
AUTH_PASS=your-app-specific-password
AUTH_SERVICE=gmail
SERVER_HOST=smtp.gmail.com

Database Setup

MongoDB must be running locally or configured via MongoDB Atlas. Ensure the connection string in .env is correct.

For local MongoDB:

mongodb

Start Server

Run the development server:

npm run dev

The server runs on the port specified in .env (default: 8000).

Configuration

All configuration is managed through environment variables in the .env file. The system uses:

• JWT for stateless authentication
• Redis for caching and session management
• Bull queue for asynchronous video transcoding
• Nodemailer for email notifications
• Cloudinary for media storage and CDN delivery

API Routes

Method	Endpoint	Description	Authentication	Request Body	Response
POST	/api/v1/auth/register	Register new user	No	avatar, coverImage, userName, email, fullName, password, age	User object with token
POST	/api/v1/auth/login	Login user	Device Info	email/userName, password	Access token, refresh token
POST	/api/v1/auth/logout	Logout user	JWT	None	Success message
POST	/api/v1/auth/refresh-token	Refresh access token	No	refresh token	New access token
POST	/api/v1/auth/reset-password	Reset user password	JWT	oldPassword, newPassword, repeatNewPassword	Success message
GET	/api/v1/auth/get-user-profile	Get user profile	JWT	None	User profile object
PATCH	/api/v1/auth/update-user-profile	Update user profile	JWT	userName, email, fullName, age	Updated user object
PATCH	/api/v1/auth/update-user-profile-files	Update avatar/cover image	JWT	avatar, coverImage files	Updated user object
DELETE	/api/v1/auth/delete	Delete user account	JWT	None	Success message
POST	/api/v1/auth/send-otp	Send OTP to email	No	email	OTP sent message
POST	/api/v1/auth/verify-otp	Verify OTP	No	email, OTPFromUser	Verification success
POST	/api/v1/auth/resend-otp	Resend OTP	No	email	OTP resent message
POST	/api/v1/video/upload	Upload video	JWT	videoFile, thumbnail, title, videoDescription, tag, genre	Video object with ID
DELETE	/api/v1/video/delete/:videoId	Delete video	JWT	None	Success message
GET	/api/v1/video/get-videos	Get all videos	JWT	None	Array of videos
GET	/api/v1/video/videos/:videoId	Get video details	JWT	None	Video object
PATCH	/api/v1/video/update	Update video details	JWT	title, videoDescription, tag, genre, videoId	Updated video object
POST	/api/v1/comments/:videoId	Create comment	JWT	commentContent, videoId	Comment object
GET	/api/v1/comments/video/:videoId	Get video comments	JWT	None	Array of comments
PATCH	/api/v1/comments/:commentId	Update comment	JWT	commentContent	Updated comment object
DELETE	/api/v1/comments/:commentId	Delete comment	JWT	None	Success message
POST	/api/v1/likes/video/:videoId	Toggle like on video	JWT	None	Like status
POST	/api/v1/likes/comment/:commentId	Toggle like on comment	JWT	None	Like status
POST	/api/v1/playlists/create	Create playlist	JWT	playlistName, playlistDescription, playlistCoverImage	Playlist object
POST	/api/v1/playlists/:playlistId/add-video/:videoId	Add video to playlist	JWT	None	Updated playlist
GET	/api/v1/playlists/get-playlist	Get user playlists	JWT	None	Array of playlists
GET	/api/v1/playlists/:playlistId	Get playlist details	JWT	None	Playlist object
DELETE	/api/v1/playlists/:playlistId/remove/:videoId	Remove video from playlist	JWT	None	Updated playlist
DELETE	/api/v1/playlists/:playlistId	Delete playlist	JWT	None	Success message
POST	/api/v1/plans/select-plan	Select subscription plan	JWT	planName, planPrice	Plan selection response

Authentication

• Type: JWT (JSON Web Tokens)
• Token Expiration: 1 day (configurable via ACCESS_TOKEN_EXPIRY)
• Refresh Token: 15 days (configurable via REFRESH_TOKEN_EXPIRY)
• Required Headers: Authorization: Bearer <accessToken>
• Password Hashing: bcryptjs with salt rounds configured via SALT_ROUND

Error Handling

HTTP Status Codes:

• 200 - OK
• 201 - Created
• 400 - Bad Request
• 401 - Unauthorized
• 403 - Forbidden
• 404 - Not Found
• 500 - Internal Server Error

Error responses follow standard format:

{
  "statusCode": 400,
  "message": "Error description",
  "success": false,
  "errors": []
}

Database Schema

Key Tables

• users - User profile, authentication credentials, watch history, and subscription preferences
• videos - Video metadata, transcoded URL variants, duration, view count, and publication status
• comments - Video comments with threading support via parentId field
• likes - Like tracking across videos, comments, chats, and playlists
• playlists - User-created video collections with metadata and cover images
• liveStreams - Live streaming configuration with stream keys and viewer tracking
• liveStreamChat - Real-time chat messages during live streams with pin functionality
• liveStreamViewer - Viewer join/leave timestamps for analytics
• subscriptions - Channel subscription relationships between users
• plans - Subscription tier definitions with pricing and features
• emailOtpVerification - OTP storage for email verification with expiration

Caching Strategy

• Redis caching layer for frequently accessed user profiles and video metadata
• Session management through Redis for active user tracking
• OTP cache with automatic expiration for email verification
• Bull queue for asynchronous video transcoding jobs with progress tracking

Video Processing

Videos uploaded through /api/v1/video/upload are queued for background transcoding. The system automatically generates multiple resolution variants (240p, 360p, 480p, 720p, 1080p) using FFmpeg and uploads them to Cloudinary. Original video metadata is updated with transcoded URLs and duration information.

Testing

# Run unit tests
npm run test

# Run integration tests
npm run test:integration

# Generate coverage report
npm run test:coverage

Deployment

• Configure environment variables for production deployment
• Ensure MongoDB and Redis are running or cloud-hosted
• Set up Cloudinary and email service credentials
• Configure CORS origin to match frontend domain
• Enable helmet middleware for security headers
• Set NODE_ENV=production for optimization
• Use process manager (PM2) for Node.js process management

Performance Considerations

• Database indexing on frequently queried fields (userName, email, videoId)
• Pagination implemented for video and comment listings
• Compression middleware enabled for response optimization
• Redis caching for reduce database queries
• Asynchronous video processing to prevent blocking requests
• Connection pooling for database connections
• Rate limiting to prevent abuse and DDoS attacks

Security

• Password hashing with bcryptjs before database storage
• JWT tokens with expiration and refresh mechanism
• CORS configuration to restrict cross-origin requests
• Rate limiting on authentication endpoints
• OTP-based email verification for new user accounts
• Device tracking and suspicious login alerts via email
• Input validation and sanitization on all endpoints
• Helmet middleware for HTTP header security
• Environment variables for sensitive credentials

Monitoring and Logging

• Logging framework: Console-based (can be extended with Winston or Bunyan)
• Error tracking: Custom ApiError class for standardized error handling
• Performance monitoring: Bull queue job completion tracking
• Alert thresholds: Email notifications for suspicious login attempts
• Log retention: Database records for audit trails

API Rate Limits

Tier	Limit
Standard	100 requests per 15 minutes
Premium	Custom limit based on plan
Admin	Unlimited

Dependencies

• bcryptjs: ^3.0.3
• bull: ^4.16.5
• cloudinary: ^2.8.0
• compression: ^1.8.1
• cookie-parser: ^1.4.7
• cors: ^2.8.5
• dotenv: ^17.2.3
• express: ^5.2.1
• express-rate-limit: ^8.2.1
• fluent-ffmpeg: ^2.1.3
• helmet: ^8.1.0
• ioredis: ^5.9.1
• jsonwebtoken: ^9.0.3
• mongoose: ^9.1.2
• multer: ^2.0.2
• nodemailer: ^7.0.12
• redis: ^5.10.0
• ua-parser-js: ^2.0.8

Contributing

• Code style: Follow consistent naming conventions (camelCase for variables, PascalCase for classes)
• Commit format: Use descriptive messages with prefix (feat:, fix:, docs:, refactor:)
• Pull request process: Create branch from develop, submit PR with test coverage
• Review requirements: Minimum one approval before merge, all tests must pass

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue	Solution
MongoDB connection failed	Verify MONGODB_URI in .env file and ensure MongoDB service is running
Redis connection error	Check Redis is running on configured host and port (default: localhost:6379)
Cloudinary upload fails	Verify API credentials and ensure account has sufficient storage quota
Email verification not received	Check AUTH_EMAIL and AUTH_PASS are correct, enable Less Secure Apps for Gmail
Video transcoding hangs	Ensure FFmpeg is installed and accessible in system PATH
JWT token invalid	Verify ACCESS_TOKEN_SECRET is set correctly and token has not expired

Support and Contact

• Issue Tracker: GitHub Issues
• Documentation: API documentation available in routes folder
• Email: Support via registered email service

License

ISC