Hiking-Logbook

Database Setup Guide

This guide shows you how to set up Firebase Firestore for development.

What You Need

• A Google account
• Node.js installed

Why Firebase Firestore?

The project uses Firebase Firestore because it:

• Handles user authentication
• Stores data in real-time
• Works offline
• Requires no server setup

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Create Firebase Project

1. Go to Firebase Console
2. Click “Create a project”
3. Name it: hiking-logbook-dev
4. Click “Create project”

2. Set Up Database

1. Click “Firestore Database”
2. Click “Create database”
3. Choose “Start in test mode” (for development)
4. Pick a location close to you
5. Click “Done”

3. Enable Login

1. Click “Authentication”
2. Click “Get started”
3. Click “Email/Password”
4. Turn it on
5. Click “Save”

4. Get Service Account Key

1. In Firebase Console, click the gear icon → “Project settings”
2. Go to “Service accounts” tab
3. Click “Generate new private key”
4. Download the JSON file
5. Save it in backend/ folder (keep it secret!)

5. Configure Backend Environment

Create backend/.env file:

PORT=3001
NODE_ENV=development

# Copy these from your downloaded JSON file
FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID=your_project_id
FIREBASE_PRIVATE_KEY_ID=your_private_key_id
FIREBASE_PRIVATE_KEY="-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----\n...\n-----END PRIVATE KEY-----"
FIREBASE_CLIENT_EMAIL=firebase-adminsdk-xxxxx@your_project.iam.gserviceaccount.com
FIREBASE_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id

6. Configure Frontend Environment

Create frontend/.env file:

# Get these from Firebase Console → Project Settings → General
REACT_APP_FIREBASE_API_KEY=your_api_key
REACT_APP_FIREBASE_AUTH_DOMAIN=your_project.firebaseapp.com
REACT_APP_FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID=your_project_id
REACT_APP_FIREBASE_STORAGE_BUCKET=your_project.appspot.com
REACT_APP_FIREBASE_MESSAGING_SENDER_ID=your_sender_id
REACT_APP_FIREBASE_APP_ID=your_app_id

Verify Setup

Test the connection:

# Start backend
cd backend
npm start

# You should see: "Firebase initialized successfully"

Common Issues

Problem: “Permission denied” errors

• Solution: Check your service account key is correct

Problem: “Project not found”

• Solution: Verify FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID matches your Firebase project

Problem: Frontend can’t authenticate

• Solution: Check frontend .env has correct Firebase config

For detailed database schema and structure, see database documentation

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The app will create collections automatically when you start using it.