This is a minimal example of a forum web application with posts and comments.

Uses:

• NextJS + Custom Express
• Postgres
• Styled-JSX
• Passport with local authentication
• Heroku
• Redux + Higher-Order Components
• Babel + Stage-1 + Stage-2 + Stage-3

Getting setup should only take 5 minutes!

Useful for:

• Building 100% JavaScript applications with example code.
• Testing out concepts before bringing them over to real work.
• Getting server side rendering right.
• Looking like you have cheat codes at a Hackathon.

You can view the demo on heroku. Below are steps to deploy your own.

Coming soon: a React Native application built with Expo that communicates to an API served from here.

• I use Homebrew. Using it makes it easier to follow these steps.
• Install Postgres: brew install postgres.
• Install Node 6+: brew install node.

• On OSX, to run Postgres:

pg_ctl -D /usr/local/var/postgres start

• There is a file named ./config.js.
• That file points to a local database named testdb. With the username and password as test.

# Enter Postgres console
psql postgres

# Create a new user for yourself
CREATE ROLE yourname WITH LOGIN PASSWORD 'yourname';

# Allow yourself to create databases
ALTER ROLE yourname CREATEDB;

# Exit Postgres console
\q

# Log in as your new user.
psql postgres -U yourname

# Create a database named: testdb.
# If you change this, update config.js
CREATE DATABASE testdb;

# Give your self privileges
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE testdb TO yourname;

# List all of your databases
\list

# Connect to your newly created DB as a test
\connect testdb

# Exit Postgres console
\q

You wont return here unless you drop tables. You can also use a GUI if you like.

While in the root directory of the repo:

npm install
npm install -g sequelize-cli
sequelize db:migrate
npm run dev

You can now visit localhost:8000 in the browser of your choice.

Install Heroku.

npm install -g heroku-cli
heroku login
heroku create

Heroku will give you a unique address, like ours: guarded-coast-67601.herokuapp.com.

Already have a heroku app to deploy to?

heroku git:remote -a name-of-your-heroku-app

Go to https://data.heroku.com, add a datastore, pick Postgres.

You will receive database, host, password, port, and username values. Here is how you set them:

# Set variables
heroku config:set PRODUCTION_DATABASE=NAME_PROVIDED_FROM_HEROKU
heroku config:set PRODUCTION_HOST=HOST_PROVIDED_FROM_HEROKU
heroku config:set PRODUCTION_PASSWORD=PASSWORD_PROVIDED_FROM_HEROKU
heroku config:set PRODUCTION_PORT=PORT_PROVIDED_FROM_HEROKU
heroku config:set PRODUCTION_USERNAME=USERNAME_PROVIDED_FROM_HEROKU

# See all of your variables
heroku config

Set a secret for cookie-session:

heroku config:set PRODUCTION_SECRET=PICK_A_SECRET

git push heroku master

append --force if necessary.

Feel free to slang any feels to @meanjim.