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Developer Environment Setup

Follow this guide to set up the Energy Monitoring System codebase on your local machine.

🗂️ Workspace Layout​

The repository is structured into distinct project components:

  • /frontend/ems-webapp: Next.js application for user dashboards.
  • /backend: Node.js / Express API handling WebSocket data and database routing.
  • /firmware: C++/Arduino firmware for ESP32 microcontrollers.
  • /dev-docs: Docusaurus developer documentation site.

🚀 Step-by-Step Setup​

Prerequisites​

Ensure you have the following tools installed:

  • Node.js (v18.x or later)
  • Arduino IDE or PlatformIO (for firmware development)
  • MongoDB (locally or an Atlas cluster URI)
  • Supabase Account (for Auth and PostgreSQL)
  • Mosquito client
  • Websockets Socket.io
  • Google Cloud

1. Set Up the Frontend Webapp​

  1. Navigate to the frontend directory:

    cd frontend/ems-webapp

  2. Install npm dependencies:

    npm install

  3. Create a .env.local file inside frontend/ems-webapp/ and populate it with your Firebase/Supabase configuration credentials:

  4. Start the development server:

    npm run dev

2. Set Up the Documentation Site​

  1. Navigate to the docs directory: 
    cd docs
  2. Install dependencies: 
    npm install
  3. Start Docusaurus locally: 
    npm run start
    The site will load at http://localhost:3000.

🔧 Contribution Guidelines​

  • Branching Policy: Always create feature branches from main (e.g., feature/live-graphs, bugfix/alert-delay).
  • Code Style:
    • Frontend uses Prettier and ESLint. Run npm run lint before committing.
    • Firmware should follow clear formatting with descriptive variable names.