# Quickstart Guide: Reference Board Viewer
**Last Updated:** 2025-11-02
**For:** Developers starting implementation
**Prerequisites:** Nix installed, basic Git knowledge
## Overview
This guide will get you from zero to a running development environment for the Reference Board Viewer in under 10 minutes.
---
## Step 1: Clone and Enter Development Environment
```bash
# Clone repository (if not already)
cd /home/jawz/Development/Projects/personal/webref
# Enter Nix development shell (from flake.nix)
nix develop
# Verify tools are available
python --version # Python 3.12
node --version # Node.js 20+
psql --version # PostgreSQL client
ruff --version # Python linter
```
**What this does:** `flake.nix` provides all dependencies (Python, Node.js, PostgreSQL, MinIO, etc.)
---
## Step 2: Initialize Database
```bash
# Start PostgreSQL (in development)
# Option A: Using Nix
pg_ctl -D ./pgdata init
pg_ctl -D ./pgdata start
# Option B: Using system PostgreSQL
sudo systemctl start postgresql
# Create database
createdb webref
# Run migrations (after backend setup)
cd backend
alembic upgrade head
```
---
## Step 3: Set Up Backend (FastAPI)
```bash
# Create backend directory
mkdir -p backend
cd backend
# Initialize uv project
uv init
# Install dependencies (all verified in nixpkgs)
uv add fastapi uvicorn sqlalchemy alembic pydantic \
python-jose passlib pillow boto3 python-multipart \
httpx pytest pytest-cov pytest-asyncio
# Create basic structure
mkdir -p app/{auth,boards,images,database,api,core} tests
# Create main.py
cat > app/main.py << 'EOF'
from fastapi import FastAPI
from fastapi.middleware.cors import CORSMiddleware
app = FastAPI(title="Reference Board Viewer API")
app.add_middleware(
CORSMiddleware,
allow_origins=["http://localhost:5173"], # Vite dev server
allow_credentials=True,
allow_methods=["*"],
allow_headers=["*"],
)
@app.get("/")
async def root():
return {"message": "Reference Board Viewer API", "version": "1.0.0"}
@app.get("/health")
async def health():
return {"status": "healthy"}
EOF
# Run development server
uvicorn app.main:app --reload --port 8000
# Test: curl http://localhost:8000/
```
**Verify:** Navigate to http://localhost:8000/docs to see auto-generated OpenAPI documentation.
---
## Step 4: Set Up Frontend (Svelte + Konva)
```bash
# Create frontend directory (in new terminal)
cd /home/jawz/Development/Projects/personal/webref
mkdir -p frontend
cd frontend
# Initialize SvelteKit project
npm create svelte@latest .
# Choose: Skeleton project, Yes to TypeScript, Yes to ESLint, Yes to Prettier
# Install dependencies
npm install
npm install konva
# Create basic canvas component
mkdir -p src/lib/canvas
cat > src/lib/canvas/Board.svelte << 'EOF'
EOF
# Update home page
cat > src/routes/+page.svelte << 'EOF'
EOF
# Run development server
npm run dev -- --open
# Verify: Browser opens to http://localhost:5173
```
---
## Step 5: Start MinIO (Image Storage)
```bash
# In new terminal
mkdir -p ~/minio-data
# Start MinIO
minio server ~/minio-data --console-address :9001
# Access console: http://localhost:9001
# Default credentials: minioadmin / minioadmin
# Create bucket
mc alias set local http://localhost:9000 minioadmin minioadmin
mc mb local/webref
```
---
## Project Structure After Setup
```
webref/
├── backend/
│ ├── app/
│ │ ├── main.py ✅ Created
│ │ ├── auth/
│ │ ├── boards/
│ │ ├── images/
│ │ ├── database/
│ │ └── core/
│ ├── tests/
│ ├── pyproject.toml ✅ Created by uv
│ └── alembic.ini
├── frontend/
│ ├── src/
│ │ ├── lib/
│ │ │ └── canvas/
│ │ │ └── Board.svelte ✅ Created
│ │ └── routes/
│ │ └── +page.svelte ✅ Created
│ ├── package.json ✅ Created
│ └── vite.config.js
├── specs/
│ └── 001-reference-board-viewer/
│ ├── spec.md ✅ Complete
│ ├── plan.md ✅ Complete
│ ├── data-model.md ✅ Complete
│ ├── tech-research.md ✅ Complete
│ └── contracts/
│ └── api.yaml ✅ Complete
├── shell.nix ✅ Update needed
└── flake.nix (To be created)
```
---
## Quick Commands Reference
### Backend
```bash
# All commands run inside nix develop shell
# Run API server
cd backend && uvicorn app.main:app --reload
# Run tests
cd backend && pytest
# Run with coverage
cd backend && pytest --cov=app --cov-report=html
# Check linting
cd backend && ruff check app/
# Format code
cd backend && ruff format app/
# Run migrations
cd backend && alembic upgrade head
# Create migration
cd backend && alembic revision --autogenerate -m "description"
```
### NixOS VM Integration Tests
```bash
# Run all tests (backend, full-stack, performance, security)
nix flake check
# Run specific test
nix build .#checks.backend-integration -L
nix build .#checks.full-stack -L
# Interactive debugging
nix build .#checks.backend-integration.driverInteractive
./result/bin/nixos-test-driver
```
### Frontend
```bash
# Run dev server
npm run dev
# Run tests
npm test
# Check types
npm run check
# Lint
npm run lint
# Build for production
npm run build
# Preview production build
npm run preview
```
### Database
```bash
# Connect to database
psql webref
# Backup database
pg_dump webref > backup.sql
# Restore database
psql webref < backup.sql
# Reset database
dropdb webref && createdb webref
alembic upgrade head
```
### MinIO
```bash
# List buckets
mc ls local/
# List files in bucket
mc ls local/webref/
# Copy file to bucket
mc cp file.jpg local/webref/originals/
# Remove file
mc rm local/webref/originals/file.jpg
```
---
## Environment Variables
Create `.env` file in backend/:
```bash
# Database
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://localhost/webref
# JWT Secret (generate with: openssl rand -hex 32)
SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key-here
ALGORITHM=HS256
ACCESS_TOKEN_EXPIRE_MINUTES=30
# MinIO
MINIO_ENDPOINT=localhost:9000
MINIO_ACCESS_KEY=minioadmin
MINIO_SECRET_KEY=minioadmin
MINIO_BUCKET=webref
MINIO_SECURE=false
# CORS
CORS_ORIGINS=["http://localhost:5173"]
# File Upload
MAX_FILE_SIZE=52428800 # 50MB
MAX_BATCH_SIZE=524288000 # 500MB
ALLOWED_MIME_TYPES=["image/jpeg","image/png","image/gif","image/webp","image/svg+xml"]
```
Create `.env` in frontend/:
```bash
# API endpoint
VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:8000/api/v1
# Feature flags
VITE_ENABLE_COMMENTS=true
VITE_ENABLE_SLIDESHOW=true
```
---
## Testing the Setup
### 1. Backend Health Check
```bash
curl http://localhost:8000/health
# Expected: {"status":"healthy"}
```
### 2. API Documentation
Navigate to: http://localhost:8000/docs
### 3. Frontend Canvas
Navigate to: http://localhost:5173
Should see: "Reference Board Canvas" text on grey background
### 4. Database Connection
```bash
psql webref -c "SELECT 1;"
# Expected: (1 row)
```
### 5. MinIO Console
Navigate to: http://localhost:9001
Login with: minioadmin / minioadmin
---
## Troubleshooting
### "Nix command not found"
```bash
# Install Nix
curl -L https://nixos.org/nix/install | sh
```
### "Port 8000 already in use"
```bash
# Find and kill process
lsof -i :8000
kill -9
```
### "PostgreSQL connection refused"
```bash
# Start PostgreSQL
sudo systemctl start postgresql
# Or using Nix:
pg_ctl -D ./pgdata start
```
### "npm install fails"
```bash
# Clear npm cache
npm cache clean --force
rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
npm install
```
### "Python module not found"
```bash
# Reinstall with uv
uv sync
# Or exit and re-enter nix shell
exit
nix develop
```
---
## Next Steps
1. **Follow the plan:** See [plan.md](./plan.md) for 16-week implementation timeline
2. **Implement authentication:** Week 2 tasks in plan
3. **Set up database schema:** Use [data-model.md](./data-model.md) and Alembic
4. **Implement API endpoints:** Use [contracts/api.yaml](./contracts/api.yaml) as reference
5. **Build canvas components:** Follow Week 5-8 tasks
---
## Development Workflow
### Daily workflow:
```bash
# Morning
cd webref
nix develop
cd backend && uvicorn app.main:app --reload &
cd frontend && npm run dev &
# Work on features...
# Before commit
cd backend && pytest && ruff check app/
cd frontend && npm run check && npm run lint
# Commit
git add .
git commit -m "feat: description"
```
### Weekly workflow:
- Review plan.md progress
- Update tests for new features
- Check coverage: `pytest --cov`
- Update documentation
---
## Resources
- **API Spec:** [contracts/api.yaml](./contracts/api.yaml)
- **Data Model:** [data-model.md](./data-model.md)
- **Tech Stack:** [tech-research.md](./tech-research.md)
- **Nix Verification:** [VERIFICATION-COMPLETE.md](./VERIFICATION-COMPLETE.md)
- **Full Plan:** [plan.md](./plan.md)
**External Docs:**
- FastAPI: https://fastapi.tiangolo.com/
- Svelte: https://svelte.dev/docs
- Konva: https://konvajs.org/docs/
- Alembic: https://alembic.sqlalchemy.org/
- MinIO: https://min.io/docs/minio/linux/index.html
---
**Questions?** Check the specification in [spec.md](./spec.md) or plan in [plan.md](./plan.md).
**Ready to start?** Begin with Week 1 tasks in the implementation plan!