Backend & Infrastructure

This page covers the core parts of the backend whicih works with Spring Boot.

Consider taking a proper look at the SpringBoot's documentation. It is not hard, most of the backend code are basic spring boot elements and concepts

https://docs.spring.io/spring-boot/index.html

1. Technical Core

• Language/Framework: Java 21 (Eclipse Temurin) using Spring Boot 3.4.0.
• Build System: Gradle. The project is built inside the container using ./gradlew build.
• API Port: The backend runs internally on port 8081.

2. The Bootstrap Logic (Admin Seeder)

We have a custom safety mechanism called AdminUserSeeder.java.

• The Purpose: If the database is fresh (0 users), the app will automatically create a "Super User."
• Requirement: You must provide ADMIN_USER and ADMIN_PASS environment variables in your .env file for the first startup.
• Behavior: If an admin already exists in the admin_users table, this seeder does nothing.

3. Security & Session Management

We use a hybrid security model to ensure the team can always access the dashboard.

• Google OAuth 2.0: Primary login for team members. Emails must be whitelisted in the Google Cloud Console.
• Spring Session (JDBC): Unlike standard apps, we store sessions in the PostgreSQL database (table: SPRING_SESSION).
  • Benefit: If the backend container restarts or updates, users are not logged out.
• Cookie Policy: SameSite=Lax and HttpOnly are enabled.
  • Note: In full production with HTTPS, server.servlet.session.cookie.secure should be set to true.

4. Database & Persistence

We use PostgreSQL 15 as our source of truth.

• JPA/Hibernate: Configured with ddl-auto: update. This automatically creates tables based on Java Entities.
• File Uploads: News images and team photos are stored in /app/uploads.
• Volumes: To ensure data isn't lost when containers stop, we use two named volumes:
  • postgres_data: For all SQL records.
  • uploads_data: For all physical images.