Archer CMS

A modernized full-stack content management system built with React (Vite), Express, SQLite (via Sequelize), and Passport for authentication.

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📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

You are free to:

• ✅ Use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the software
• ✅ Use the project for personal, educational, internal, or commercial purposes
• ✅ Credit is appreciated but not legally required
• ❌ The software is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind

For details, see the LICENSE file.

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🚀 Features

• SQLite via Sequelize (replaces MongoDB)
• React + Vite (replaces Gulp & Browserify)
• Passport local auth with bcrypt
• Role-based architecture (admin/author/viewer)
• Image upload seeding (with .gitkeep protection)
• Accessible and testable frontend
• Modern ESLint config for React projects

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🛠 Tech Stack

• Frontend: React 19, Vite, Tailwind CSS
• Backend: Express.js, Passport (local strategy)
• Database: SQLite (via Sequelize ORM)
• Authentication: bcrypt + Passport.js
• File Uploads: Multer (local, seed images supported)

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📦 Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

• Node.js (version 22 or higher)
• npm (version 10 or higher)
• Git CLI for cloning
• SQLite (auto-created via Sequelize — no setup needed)

Optionally:

• VS Code + ESLint/Tailwind extensions

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🧭 Project Structure (WIP)

• /client -> React + Vite frontend
• /server -> Express routes and auth
• /public/images -> Uploaded content (not tracked by git)
• /seed_assets -> Images for database seeding
• .env -> Environment config

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⚙️ Getting Started

1. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/jennifert/archer-cms.git
   cd archer-cms

2. Install Dependencies

   npm install

3. Set Up Environment Variables Create a .env file in the project root with the following:

   NODE_ENV=development          # Can be 'development' or 'production'
   PORT=5000                     # Server port
   COOKIE_SECRET=changeme123     # Used to sign session cookies
   COOKIE_SECURE=false           # Set to true in production with HTTPS
   COOKIE_SAMESITE=lax           # Recommended: 'lax' or 'strict'

   💡 For production, make sure to change COOKIE_SECRET to something long and secure.

   📄 See env.example for the latest template.

4. Add a Sample Image Place a test image in:

   /seed_assets/sample1.jpg
   

5. Seed the Database Safe prompt:

   npm run seed:safe

   Or force seed:

   npm run seed

6. Start Development Server

   npm run dev

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📜 NPM Scripts

Command	Description
npm run dev	Starts Vite (frontend) and Nodemon (server)
npm run seed	Force seeds the database
npm run seed:safe	Safe seeding with confirmation prompt
npm run build	Builds frontend and runs postbuild scripts
npm run serve	Serves the production frontend build

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✅ Notes

• The database (db.sqlite) and uploaded images (public/images/) are auto-generated during seeding.
• .gitkeep is used to track empty folders for uploads.
• Modify import.js to customize your seed content.

✍️ Rich Text Editor

Editor: TBD

This CMS supports WYSIWYG editing via Example.
To customize behavior or sanitize output, see /src/components/______.jsx.

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📘 Documentation

• TODO.md — Roadmap and planned enhancements
• API_REFERENCE.md — Full list of backend API routes
• /api/settings/endpoints — Dev-only route that returns all current Express routes dynamically

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🚢 Deployment (Coming Soon)

TBD

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📌 TODO Highlights

See TODO.md for full roadmap.

• Add role-based route protection (requireRole('admin'))
• Password strength validation
• Integration testing (Jest/Vitest)
• Production build + deploy (Render, Docker, etc.)

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💎 Acknowledgments

This project would not be possible without these fantastic community resources:

• Shields.io — For README badges
• Awesome README — For formatting inspiration