Guidelines for Technical Documentation

Objective

The purpose of these guidelines is to ensure that our technical documentation is thorough, consistent, and useful for both our internal team and external stakeholders. The documentation will serve as a living resource that evolves with the platform, providing clear and detailed information about the system’s architecture, APIs, front-end and back-end components, deployment processes, and security measures.

1. Technical Documentation Overview

Each section of the technical documentation should be broken down into specific components, with a focus on clarity, accuracy, and completeness. Below are the required sections and detailed instructions on how to document each.

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2. System Architecture

• Objective: Provide a comprehensive overview of the platform’s architecture to give team members and stakeholders a clear understanding of how the system components interact.
• Content Requirements:
  • High-Level Diagram: Include a detailed diagram that visually represents the entire system architecture. This should show how the front-end, back-end, databases, and any external services interact.
    • Example: A diagram showing how the React front-end communicates with the Node.js/Express back-end, which in turn interacts with MongoDB and external APIs.
  • Component Breakdown: Write detailed descriptions of each component in the architecture, explaining their roles, interactions, and dependencies.
    • Example:
      • Front-End (React): Handles user interface and client-side logic.
      • Back-End (Node.js/Express): Manages API requests, server-side logic, and interactions with the database.
      • Database (MongoDB): Stores user data, application settings, and logs.
• Example Entry:
  • React Front-End:
    • Description: The front-end is built using React, which handles the user interface and state management. It communicates with the back-end through RESTful APIs.
    • Interactions: The React front-end makes API calls to the Node.js/Express back-end for data retrieval and submission.
  • Node.js/Express Back-End:
    • Description: The back-end is responsible for handling API requests, business logic, and database operations. It serves as the bridge between the front-end and the database.
    • Interactions: The back-end interacts with MongoDB to fetch and store data and with external services for additional functionalities.

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3. API Documentation

• Objective: Provide clear and detailed documentation for all APIs, especially the outward-facing Clean Cooking dMRV APIs. This ensures that external developers and internal team members can understand and effectively use the APIs.
• Content Requirements:
  • Endpoint Structure: Document each API endpoint, including its path, HTTP method, parameters, request/response formats, and authentication requirements.
    • Example:
      • GET /api/v1/dmrv/projects: Retrieves a list of all projects.
      • Parameters: status (optional, string) – Filter projects by status.
      • Response:

json

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{

  “projects”: [

    {

      “id”: “123”,

      “name”: “Project A”,

      “status”: “active”

    }

  ]

}

• Authentication: Detail the authentication method used for each endpoint, such as JWT tokens or API keys.
  • Example: Authentication: This endpoint requires a JWT token, provided in the Authorization header as Bearer <token>.
• Error Handling: List possible error responses, including HTTP status codes and messages.
  • Example:
    • 401 Unauthorized: The user is not authenticated.
    • 404 Not Found: The requested resource does not exist.
• Example Entry:
  • POST /api/v1/dmrv/projects:
    • Description: Creates a new project within the Clean Cooking dMRV platform.
    • Request Body:

json

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{

  “name”: “New Project”,

  “description”: “Project Description”

}

• Response:

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{

  “id”: “124”,

  “name”: “New Project”,

  “status”: “created”

}

• Error Handling:
  • 400 Bad Request: Missing required fields in the request body.

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4. Front-End Documentation (React)

• Objective: Document the structure, components, and state management of the React front-end to ensure that all developers understand how to work with and extend the UI.
• Content Requirements:
  • Component Overview: Describe each React component, its props, and how it fits into the larger UI.
    • Example:
      • ProjectList Component: Renders a list of projects fetched from the back-end.
      • Props: projects (array) – List of project objects to display.
  • State Management: Document how state is managed within the application, including any use of Redux or Context API.
    • Example: The global state is managed using Redux. The projects state slice stores all project data and is updated via actions dispatched from the ProjectList component.
  • Routing: Explain the routing setup within the application, including how routes are protected or dynamically loaded.
    • Example: The application uses react-router for routing. The /projects route is protected and requires user authentication.
• Example Entry:
  • ProjectDetail Component:
    • Description: Displays detailed information about a single project.
    • Props:
      • projectId (string) – The ID of the project to display.
    • Interactions: Fetches project data from the API on component mount using the projectId prop.

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5. Back-End Documentation (Node.js/Express)

• Objective: Document the server-side logic, middleware, and database interactions within the Node.js/Express back-end to ensure that the system is maintainable and extensible.
• Content Requirements:
  • Express Middleware: Document the middleware used, including any custom middleware.
    • Example:
      • authMiddleware: Ensures that the user is authenticated before accessing protected routes.
      • requestLogger: Logs all incoming requests for debugging purposes.
  • Database Models (MongoDB): Provide schema definitions and document how data is stored, retrieved, and manipulated.
    • Example:
      • Project Schema: Defines the structure of the Project collection in MongoDB, including fields like name, description, and status.
  • Environment Configuration: Document required environment variables and their usage.
    • Example:
      • DB_CONNECTION_STRING: The connection string used to connect to MongoDB.
• Example Entry:
  • User Authentication Middleware:
    • Description: Middleware that verifies the user’s JWT token and attaches the user object to the request.
    • Usage: Applied to all routes under /api/v1/secure/*.
    • Code Example:

javascript

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function authMiddleware(req, res, next) {

  const token = req.headers.authorization.split(‘ ‘)[1];

  const user = jwt.verify(token, process.env.JWT_SECRET);

  req.user = user;

  next();

}

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6. Deployment and CI/CD

• Objective: Provide detailed instructions on how to deploy the platform, including CI/CD pipelines, environment setup, and Docker configurations.
• Content Requirements:
  • Deployment Steps: Document the steps required to deploy the application, including any scripts or commands.
    • Example:
      • Step 1: Pull the latest code from the main branch.
      • Step 2: Build the React application using npm run build.
      • Step 3: Deploy the back-end using Docker.
  • CI/CD Pipeline: Explain the continuous integration and deployment process, including tools used like Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or Travis CI.
    • Example:
      • CI Pipeline: Runs automated tests on each push to main. If tests pass, the application is automatically deployed to the staging environment.
  • Environment Configuration: Document environment variables needed for deployment.
    • Example:
      • NODE_ENV: Set to production for live deployments.
• Example Entry:
  • Docker Deployment:
    • Description: The back-end service is containerized using Docker. The Dockerfile specifies the Node.js base image and the commands needed to install dependencies and start the server.
    • Commands:

bash

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docker build -t verst-backend .

docker run -d -p 3000:3000 verst-backend

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7. Security Documentation

• Objective: Document all security measures in place, including API security, data encryption, and access controls, to protect sensitive data and ensure compliance with security standards.
• Content Requirements:
  • Authentication: Document how users are authenticated and how tokens are managed.
    • Example:
      • JWT Authentication: Users are authenticated via JWT tokens, which are stored in the Authorization header for subsequent API requests.
  • Data Encryption: Explain how data is encrypted both at rest and in transit.
    • Example:
      • At Rest: All sensitive data, such as passwords, is hashed using bcrypt before being stored in the database.
      • In Transit: All API requests are served over HTTPS, ensuring that data is encrypted during transmission.
  • Access Control: Document role-based access controls and how permissions are managed.
    • Example:
      • Admin Role: Users with the admin role can access all resources and manage user permissions.
• Example Entry:
  • Role-Based Access Control (RBAC):
    • Description: The platform uses RBAC to restrict access to sensitive endpoints. Users are assigned roles (user, admin, etc.), and permissions are checked before granting access.
    • Code Example:

javascript

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function adminOnly(req, res, next) {

  if (req.user.role !== ‘admin’) {

    return res.status(403).json({ message: ‘Forbidden’ });

  }

  next();

}

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