ASCII Art Printer - Backend

Description

This is the backend for the ASCII Art Printer app. It handles file uploads, processes text files line by line, and communicates with the frontend in real-time using WebSocket.

Notes:

• I want to emphasise that my primary focus for this project is on the frontend development, showcasing my ability to work with real-time payloads, styling, and handling the user experience.
• While I implemented the backend using Node.js, it hasn't been heavily optimized, refactored into TypeScript, or modularized. I approached it as a functional solution to meet the app's requirements.
• I included extensive comments in the backend code for clarity and my own learning.

Features

• File upload handling via Multer middleware.
• Real-time updates using WebSocket (Socket.IO).
• Processes text files line by line, emitting progress and completion events.
• Deletes the uploaded file after processing to save storage.

---

Prerequisites

• Node.js (node version in .nvmrc file)
• npm (comes with Node.js)

---

Installation and Setup

1. Clone repository to a folder of your choice.
2. Install dependencies: (check .nvmrc for node version)

   npm install

3. Start backend server

   node server.js

4. Server will start on:

   http://localhost:3000

---

Usage

1. Ensure the backend is running before using the frontend.

2. The backend exposes the following endpoints:

   • POST /upload: Handles .txt file uploads and processes them.

3. The backend communicates with the frontend via WebSocket (Socket.IO):

   • Emits "line": Sends a line from the file along with the progress percentage.
   • Emits "complete": Signals the end of file processing.

---

Technologies Used

1. Node.js: Backend framework.
2. Express: For building the REST API.
3. Socket.IO: For real-time WebSocket communication.
4. Multer: Middleware for handling file uploads.
5. fs: Node.js module for file system operations.