Covelet

A fun, secure memory-sharing and digital scrapbooking application. Designed as a digital vault for any group to preserve their most precious moments.

Features

• Coves: Private group spaces for sharing memories within a trusted, curated circle.
• Time Capsules: Create and unlock scheduled memory sets for collaborative, synchronized reliving.
• Secure Vault Architecture: Advanced server-authoritative data management with reliable cascade deletions.
• Memory Discovery: Relive forgotten moments through dynamic discovery tools like Roulette and Flashbacks.
• Unified Experience: High-performance mobile interface built on Expo with NativeWind styling.

Tech Stack

Built with React Native (Expo SDK 52), NativeWind, Firebase, and Node.js.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

• Node.js: v18 or later
• Java Development Kit (JDK): v17 or later (required for Android)
• Android Studio: With Android SDK, Build Tools, and Emulator configured
• ADB (Android Debug Bridge): Required for physical device testing and port forwarding

Setup Instructions

1. Install Dependencies

To install all required packages for the root, client, and server, run the following starting from the project root:

npm run install-all

2. Environment Configuration

You must configure both the client and server with your own Firebase credentials.

• Client Setup:

  1. Navigate to the client/ directory.
  2. Copy .env.example to .env.
  3. Fill in the EXPO_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_* variables with your Firebase web configuration.
  4. Set EXPO_PUBLIC_API_URL to http://localhost:3001 (or your local IP for physical devices).
  5. Ensure google-services.json (Android) and GoogleService-Info.plist (iOS) are present in the client/ directory if you've already generated them in Firebase.

• Server Setup:

  1. Navigate to the server/ directory.
  2. Copy .env.example to .env.
  3. Place your Firebase service-account.json file in the server/ directory.
  4. Fill in any other required variables in the .env file.

3. Android Development Setup

To build and run the application on an Android device or emulator, follow these steps from the root directory:

A. Prebuild the Native Project

This generates the android/ directory required for native builds.

cd client
npx expo prebuild

B. Run the App on Android

This compiles the native code and launches the app. Ensure an emulator is running or a physical device is connected.

npx expo run:android

4. Running the Backend

In a separate terminal, start the Express server:

cd server
npm run dev

5. Connectivity (Physical Android)

If you are using a physical Android device for testing, you must forward the development ports to allow the app to communicate with the local server:

# From the root directory
npm run reverse

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Development Workflow

For a standard development session:

1. Start the server: cd server && npm run dev
2. Forward ports (if on physical device): npm run reverse
3. Start Expo: cd client && npx expo start (or npx expo run:android if you need to rebuild native code).