BlueLine Designs — Backend API

Node.js + Express + SQLite backend for the house plan catalog frontend.

Setup

cd backend
npm install
cp .env.example .env     # then edit ADMIN_KEY to your own secret
npm run seed              # creates blueline.sqlite and loads the 12 starter designs
npm start                 # runs on http://localhost:4000

Use npm run dev instead of npm start during development (auto-restarts on file changes).

The database is a single file, db/blueline.sqlite, created automatically. Delete it and re-run npm run seed to reset.

Authentication

There are no user accounts yet — write operations (create/update/delete a house, list or update plan requests) are protected by a single shared secret. Send it as a header:

x-admin-key: <value from .env>

Anyone submitting a plan request from the public site does not need this header.

API reference

Houses

Method	Path	Auth	Description
GET	/api/houses	—	List houses. Query params: type, minBeds, maxBeds, search
GET	/api/houses/types	—	Distinct list of house types currently in the DB
GET	/api/houses/:id	—	Single house with full spec sheet
POST	/api/houses	admin	Create a house
PUT	/api/houses/:id	admin	Update a house (partial updates allowed)
DELETE	/api/houses/:id	admin	Delete a house

House JSON shape (matches the frontend's existing mock data fields):

{
  "id": 1,
  "type": "Villa",
  "variant": "villa",
  "name": "Lakeview Villa",
  "area": "4,200",
  "plot": "60x80",
  "beds": 5,
  "floors": 2,
  "desc": "A five-bedroom villa with a rear-facing living room...",
  "features": ["Floor-to-ceiling rear glazing", "Home office wing"]
}

type must be one of: Bungalow, Duplex, Villa, Cottage, Apartment, Farmhouse. variant should match one of the SVG keys already in the frontend (bungalow, duplex, villa, cottage, apartment, farmhouse) so the right line-art elevation renders.

Plan requests

Method	Path	Auth	Description
POST	/api/requests	—	Submit a plan request (the "Request this plan" / "Request a custom plan" forms)
GET	/api/requests	admin	List requests, optional ?status=new|contacted|closed
PATCH	/api/requests/:id	admin	Update a request's status

POST body:

{
  "houseId": 5,
  "name": "Asha Rao",
  "email": "asha@example.com",
  "phone": "9876543210",
  "plotDims": "40x60, east-facing",
  "message": "Need this adapted for a sloped plot."
}

houseId is optional — omit it for the general "custom plan" request at the bottom of the site.

Wiring up the existing frontend

The frontend currently uses a hardcoded houses array in its <script> tag. To connect it to this API:

1. Replace the hardcoded array with a fetch call:

   const res = await fetch('http://localhost:4000/api/houses');
   const houses = await res.json();

2. Update the filter bar to call GET /api/houses/types instead of a hardcoded list, if you want it to stay in sync automatically as you add new house types.
3. Point the "Request this plan" and "Request a custom plan" buttons at POST /api/requests instead of the mailto: links.

CORS is open (*) by default for local development — set CORS_ORIGIN in .env to your real frontend URL before deploying.

Project structure

backend/
├── db/
│   ├── db.js        # connection + schema
│   └── seed.js       # starter data (run with npm run seed)
├── middleware/
│   └── auth.js       # x-admin-key check
├── routes/
│   ├── houses.js
│   └── requests.js
├── server.js
├── package.json
└── .env.example