# Development Environment Setup

This guide walks through installing everything needed to run Sloth Manager locally for development and testing, on both Windows 11 and Debian Linux.

---

## Windows 11

### 1. Install Node.js

Download and run the LTS installer from **https://nodejs.org** (choose "LTS").

Verify the installation:

```powershell
node --version
npm --version
```

Both commands should return a version number.

### 2. Install Git

Download and run the installer from **https://git-scm.com/download/win**.

Accept the defaults. When asked about the default editor, choose whichever you prefer.

Verify:

```powershell
git --version
```

### 3. Clone the repository

Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal:

```powershell
git clone https://your-gitea.com/youruser/sloth-manager.git
cd sloth-manager
```

### 4. Configure the backend

```powershell
cd backend
copy .env.example .env
notepad .env
```

Fill in your provider credentials. At minimum set a `JWT_SECRET`:

```
JWT_SECRET=any-long-random-string-for-dev
```

### 5. Install dependencies and start the backend

```powershell
npm install
npm run dev
```

The backend will start on `http://localhost:3001`. Leave this terminal open.

### 6. Configure and start the frontend

Open a second terminal window:

```powershell
cd frontend
copy .env.example .env
npm install
npm start
```

The browser will open automatically at `http://localhost:3000`.

### 7. First login

Log in with `admin` / `admin` and change the password immediately in **👤 My Profile**.

---

## Debian (12 Bookworm / 11 Bullseye)

### 1. Install Node.js

The version in Debian's default repositories is outdated. Install the current LTS via NodeSource:

```bash
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install -y nodejs
```

Verify:

```bash
node --version
npm --version
```

### 2. Install Git

```bash
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y git
```

Verify:

```bash
git --version
```

### 3. Clone the repository

```bash
git clone https://your-gitea.com/youruser/sloth-manager.git
cd sloth-manager
```

### 4. Configure the backend

```bash
cd backend
cp .env.example .env
nano .env
```

Fill in your provider credentials. At minimum set a `JWT_SECRET`:

```
JWT_SECRET=any-long-random-string-for-dev
```

### 5. Install dependencies and start the backend

```bash
npm install
npm run dev
```

The backend will start on `http://localhost:3001`. Leave this terminal open.

### 6. Configure and start the frontend

Open a second terminal:

```bash
cd frontend
cp .env.example .env
npm install
npm start
```

Open `http://localhost:3000` in your browser.

### 7. First login

Log in with `admin` / `admin` and change the password immediately in **👤 My Profile**.

---

## Verify everything is working

Once both services are running, confirm the following in the browser:

- The login page loads at `http://localhost:3000`
- After logging in, the Overview page shows the dashboard
- Selecting a provider and pressing **⟳ Sync** fetches records without errors
- **⚙️ Settings → Provider Status → Run Check** shows green for configured providers

---

## Stopping the development servers

Press `Ctrl+C` in each terminal to stop the backend and frontend.

---

## Useful development tips

**Backend auto-restarts** — nodemon watches for file changes and restarts the backend automatically. You do not need to restart it manually after editing backend files.

**Frontend hot-reloads** — the React dev server reloads the browser automatically when frontend files change.

**Nodemon and new files** — if you add a brand new file to the backend (not just edit an existing one), nodemon may not pick it up. Stop it with `Ctrl+C` and run `npm run dev` again.

**Viewing backend logs** — all errors and audit events are printed to the terminal running the backend.

**Data files** — in development, data files (`users.json`, `dns-cache.json`, etc.) are created in the `backend/` folder. These are gitignored and will not be committed.

---

## Summary of commands

| Task | Windows | Debian |
|------|---------|--------|
| Copy env file | `copy .env.example .env` | `cp .env.example .env` |
| Install deps | `npm install` | `npm install` |
| Start backend | `npm run dev` | `npm run dev` |
| Start frontend | `npm start` | `npm start` |
| Open app | `http://localhost:3000` | `http://localhost:3000` |