Node API with Firebase Authentication

A simple Node.js API service with Firebase authentication, user management, and Swagger documentation.

Features

• Authentication: Firebase-based user authentication
• User Management: Create, read, update, and delete user profiles
• API Documentation: Auto-generated Swagger/OpenAPI documentation
• Vercel Ready: Configured for easy deployment to Vercel

Endpoints

Public Endpoints

• GET / - Welcome message
• GET /hello - Returns "Hello from Vercel"
• POST /palindrome - Returns palindrome of a word
• GET /palindrome/:word - Returns palindrome via URL parameter

Authentication Endpoints

• POST /auth/register - Register a new user
• POST /auth/verify-token - Verify a Firebase ID token
• GET /auth/user - Get current user profile (requires auth)
• PUT /auth/user - Update user profile (requires auth)
• DELETE /auth/user - Delete user account (requires auth)

Setup Instructions

1. Install Dependencies

npm install

2. Firebase Setup

1. Create a Firebase project at Firebase Console
2. Enable Authentication and Firestore Database
3. Generate a service account key:
   • Go to Project Settings > Service Accounts
   • Click "Generate New Private Key"
   • Download the JSON file

3. Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the root directory:

# Option 1: Using individual environment variables
FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID=your-project-id
FIREBASE_PRIVATE_KEY="-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----\nYour-Private-Key-Here\n-----END PRIVATE KEY-----\n"
FIREBASE_CLIENT_EMAIL=firebase-adminsdk-xxxxx@your-project-id.iam.gserviceaccount.com
FIREBASE_DATABASE_URL=https://your-project-id.firebaseio.com

# Option 2: Using base64 encoded service account (recommended for Vercel)
# Encode your service account JSON: base64 -i serviceAccountKey.json
FIREBASE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_BASE64=your-base64-encoded-service-account-json

4. Run Locally

npm start
# or for development with auto-reload
npm run dev

Access the API at:

• API: http://localhost:3000
• Swagger UI: http://localhost:3000/api-docs

Deployment to Vercel

1. Install Vercel CLI

npm i -g vercel

2. Configure Environment Variables

For Vercel deployment, it's recommended to use the base64 encoded service account:

1. Encode your service account JSON:

   base64 -i path/to/serviceAccountKey.json

2. Add the environment variable in Vercel:

   • Go to your Vercel project settings
   • Navigate to Environment Variables
   • Add FIREBASE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_BASE64 with the encoded value

3. Deploy

vercel

Authentication Flow

Client-Side Authentication

1. Use Firebase SDK to authenticate users on the client
2. Get the ID token: const idToken = await user.getIdToken()
3. Include the token in API requests: Authorization: Bearer ${idToken}

Example: Register a User

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/auth/register \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "email": "user@example.com",
    "password": "secure123",
    "displayName": "John Doe"
  }'

Example: Authenticated Request

curl -X GET http://localhost:3000/auth/user \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ID_TOKEN"

Security

• All sensitive user operations require authentication
• Firebase ID tokens are verified on each request
• User data is stored securely in Firestore
• Passwords are managed by Firebase Auth (never stored directly)

API Documentation

The API documentation is automatically generated and available at /api-docs when running the server. The standalone OpenAPI specification is also available in swagger.json.

Troubleshooting

Firebase Configuration Error

• Ensure all required environment variables are set
• Check that the service account key is valid
• Verify Firebase project settings

Authentication Errors

• Ensure the ID token is valid and not expired
• Check that the Authorization header format is correct: Bearer TOKEN
• Verify the user exists in Firebase Auth

License

ISC