Build an E-Commerce Store and Admin Dashboard - React.js, Stripe, Node.js, Redis

Introduction

In this tutorial, you will learn how to build a full-fledged e-commerce store and an admin dashboard using React.js, Node.js, Stripe, MongoDB, and Redis. This project covers essential features like user authentication, product management, cart functionality, and payment integration. By the end, you will have a solid understanding of how to create and deploy your own e-commerce platform.

Step 1: Setup Your Environment

• Install Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager).
• Set up your development environment with your preferred code editor (e.g., VSCode).
• Clone the source code repository from GitHub:

  git clone https://github.com/burakorkmez/mern-ecommerce
  cd mern-ecommerce
  

Step 2: Backend Setup

• Create a new Node.js application if not using the provided code.
• Install necessary packages:

  npm install express mongoose dotenv cors bcryptjs jsonwebtoken stripe redis
  

• Set up your server file (e.g., server.js) and configure Express.

Step 3: Database Setup

• Set up MongoDB and Redis for data storage and caching.
• Create a .env file to store your database connection strings and other sensitive information.
• Example .env entries:

  MONGO_URI=your_mongo_db_uri
  REDIS_URL=your_redis_url
  JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
  STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=your_stripe_secret_key
  

Step 4: Implement Authentication

• Create routes for user signup and login.
• Use bcrypt for password hashing and JWT for token management.
• Example code for user signup:

  const bcrypt = require('bcryptjs');
  
  app.post('/api/signup', async (req, res) => {
      const hashedPassword = await bcrypt.hash(req.body.password, 10);
      // Save user with hashed password to database
  });
  

Step 5: Product Management

• Build CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) routes for products.
• Set up a Product model using Mongoose for MongoDB.
• Example route for adding a product:

  app.post('/api/products', async (req, res) => {
      const newProduct = new Product(req.body);
      await newProduct.save();
      res.status(201).send(newProduct);
  });
  

Step 6: Shopping Cart Functionality

• Create routes to manage shopping cart actions (add, remove, view).
• Store cart data in Redis for fast access.
• Example code for adding an item to the cart:

  app.post('/api/cart', (req, res) => {
      // Logic to add item to cart in Redis
  });
  

Step 7: Payment Integration with Stripe

• Install Stripe library and set up payment routes.
• Create a checkout process that integrates with Stripe.
• Example code for processing payments:

  const stripe = require('stripe')(process.env.STRIPE_SECRET_KEY);
  
  app.post('/api/pay', async (req, res) => {
      const { amount, currency } = req.body;
      const paymentIntent = await stripe.paymentIntents.create({
          amount,
          currency,
      });
      res.send(paymentIntent);
  });
  

Step 8: Build the Frontend with React

• Set up a React application using Create React App.
• Install necessary libraries like Axios for API calls and Tailwind CSS for styling.
• Example command to create a React app:

  npx create-react-app frontend
  cd frontend
  npm install axios tailwindcss
  

Step 9: Create User Interfaces

• Design signup and login pages using Tailwind CSS.
• Create components for products, cart, and checkout.
• Use Axios to connect your frontend with the backend APIs.

Step 10: Implement Admin Dashboard

• Build an admin dashboard to manage products and view sales analytics.
• Create routes for admin functionalities and protect them using JWT authentication.

Conclusion

You have successfully built an e-commerce store with an admin dashboard using React.js, Node.js, and various technologies. This project has given you practical experience in full-stack development, integrating payment systems, and managing user authentication. As a next step, consider deploying your application using services like Heroku or Vercel, and explore additional features to enhance your store.