Movie Collection API Setup

A complete setup guide to run the Movie Collection API locally using Node.js, Express, MongoDB (Atlas), TypeScript, and Bun as the package manager.

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1. Prerequisites

Ensure the following tools are installed based on your operating system:

Required for All Platforms

• Node.js (or install via nvm)
• Bun (recommended)
• Git
• MongoDB Atlas (or local MongoDB if preferred)
• .env file with your TMDB_API_KEY, Mongo URI, etc.

Install NVM (Optional — if you prefer managing Node versions via nvm)

macOS and Linux

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.3/install.sh | bash

Replace v0.40.3 with the latest release version.

Windows

powershell -c "irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.3/install.sh | iex"

Replace v0.40.3 with the latest release version.

If script execution is restricted, run:

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope Process

Install Bun (Optional — if you prefer bun over node)

macOS and Linux

curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash

Windows

powershell -c "irm https://bun.sh/install.ps1 | iex"

If script execution is restricted, run:

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope Process

To install a specific version of Bun on Linux/Mac, checkout the Bun Docs.

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Windows

Install Chocolatey to manage packages:

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; `
[System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; `
iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))

Then install essential tools:

choco install git nodejs mongodb.install bun vscode mongodb-atlas postman arc-browser warp mongodb-atlas -y # optionally install node if nvm is already installed

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macOS (via Homebrew)

Install Homebrew if not already installed:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Then install required tools:

brew install git node [email protected] mongodb/brew/mongosh mongodb-atlas-cli # optionally install node if nvm is already installed
brew install --cask visual-studio-code postman arc warp

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Linux (APT or Pacman)

For Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y curl git gnupg

# Install Node.js using NVM
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.7/install.sh | bash
source ~/.bashrc
nvm install --lts

# Install Bun
curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash

# Optional: VS Code and MongoDB CLI
sudo snap install code --classic

For Arch/Manjaro (Pacman):

sudo pacman -Syu git curl base-devel

# Node.js (or use NVM)
sudo pacman -S nodejs npm

# Bun
curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash

# VS Code
sudo pacman -S code

Note: Use your package manager or Snap/Flatpak for other tools like Postman, Warp, Arc.

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2. Clone the Project

cd ~/Documents
git clone https://github.com/techstackspace/express-projects.git
cd express-projects
git checkout feature/01-movie-collection-api

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3. Install Dependencies

Using Bun (preferred):

bun install

Delete package-lock.json if switching to bun.

Or using npm:

npm install

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4. How to Get Your TMDB API Key

To use the TMDB API, follow these steps:

1. Create or Access Your TMDB Account

   • If you don't have an account: Sign up here
   • If you already have an account: Log in here

2. Generate Your API Key

   • Go to the API settings page
   • Choose the "Developer" plan by filling out the developer subscription form
   • Accept the terms for personal use

3. Access Your API Key

   • After approval, visit the API key details page
   • Copy your API key

4. Add the API Key to Your Project

   • Open your .env file

   • Add the following line:

     TMDB_API_KEY=<your_tmdb_api_key>

✅ Make sure to restart your development server after updating the .env file.

5. Environment Variables**

Create a .env file in the root directory and add:

MONGO_URI=<mongo_uri>
TMDB_API_KEY=<your_tmdb_api_key>
PORT=5000

Replace <mongo_uri> with one of the following options:

• Local MongoDB: mongodb://localhost:27017/movies-db
• MongoDB Atlas: Use the connection string from your Atlas cluster, e.g., mongodb+srv://<username>:<password>@<cluster>.mongodb.net/movies-db?retryWrites=true&w=majority

Pro Tip: You can also import the movies-db.movies.json file into MongoDB Compass or Atlas to quickly populate your database for testing.

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6. Start the Server

Development:

bun dev

Build and Run:

bun run build
bun start

Ensure MongoDB Atlas (or Compass) is running and accessible.

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7. Seed Database with Top Movies

To fetch and seed top-rated movies from TMDB:

bun run seed
mongosh # optional

This script is located at: src/scripts/seedMovies.ts

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8. API Endpoints

🔍 GET /api/movies

• Optional query params: search, genre, country, limit, page

🌟 GET /api/movies/top

• Fetch top 10 movies sorted by rating

🔍 GET /api/movies/:id

• Get movie by ID

➕ POST /api/movies

• Add a new movie to the database

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9. Project Structure

.
├── src/
│   ├── models/
│   │   └── Movie.ts
│   ├── routes/
│   │   └── movies.ts
│   ├── scripts/
│   │   └── seedMovies.ts
│   ├── index.ts
├── .env
├── tsconfig.json
├── bun.lockb / package-lock.json
├── README.md

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10. Recommended Tools via Brewfile

brew "gh"
brew "git"
brew "[email protected]"
brew "mongodb-atlas-cli"
brew "oven-sh/bun/bun"
brew "mongodb/brew/mongosh"
cask "amazon-q"
cask "postman"
cask "arc"
cask "visual-studio-code"
cask "warp"
cask "mongodb-compass"
vscode "amazonwebservices.codewhisperer-for-command-line-companion"
vscode "mongodb.mongodb-vscode"
vscode "bengreenier.vscode-node-readme"
vscode "yzhang.markdown-all-in-one"
vscode "Postman.postman-for-vscode"
vscode "esbenp.prettier-vscode"
vscode "GitHub.github-vscode-theme"
vscode "PKief.material-icon-theme"

Use this to install all tools in the project directory:

brew bundle --file=config/macOS/Brewfile

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11. Recommended Tools via Chocolatey

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<packages>
  <package id="git" />
  <package id="gh" />
  <package id="bun" />
  <package id="nvm" />
  <package id="mongodb.install" />
  <package id="mongodb-compass" />
  <package id="mongodb-atlas" />
  <package id="postman" />
  <package id="vscode" />
  <package id="warp" />
</packages>

Use this to install all tools in the project directory:

choco install config\choco-packages.config -y

12. Recommended Tools via APT, Pacman, etc

#!/bin/bash

# Exit immediately if a command exits with a non-zero status
set -e

# Check if the OS is Linux
if [[ "$OSTYPE" != "linux-gnu"* ]]; then
    echo "This script is intended for Linux systems."
    exit 1
fi

# Source the os-release file to get distribution information
if [ -r /etc/os-release ]; then
    . /etc/os-release
    DISTRO_ID=$ID
    DISTRO_VERSION_ID=$VERSION_ID
else
    echo "Cannot determine Linux distribution."
    exit 1
fi

# Determine the package manager and install MongoDB accordingly
case "$DISTRO_ID" in
    ubuntu|debian)
        # Install required packages
        sudo apt-get update
        sudo apt-get install -y gnupg curl
...

Use this to install all tools in the project directory:

chmod +x config/linux/install.sh

To run it with sudo, run:

sudo config/linux/install.sh

13. Installation of VSCode Extensions

code --install-extension amazonwebservices.aws-toolkit-vscode
code --install-extension mongodb.mongodb-vscode
code --install-extension bengreenier.vscode-node-readme
code --install-extension yzhang.markdown-all-in-one
code --install-extension postman.postman-for-vscode
code --install-extension esbenp.prettier-vscode
code --install-extension github.github-vscode-theme
code --install-extension pkief.material-icon-theme

14. Uninstalling Tools

If, after development, you need to reinstall specific packages or all packages, run:

macOS (Homebrew)

To uninstall tools:

brew uninstall git node [email protected] bun mongodb-atlas-cli mongosh gh
brew uninstall --cask visual-studio-code postman arc warp mongodb-compass amazon-q

To remove Homebrew itself:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/uninstall.sh)"

Windows (Chocolatey)

To uninstall packages:

choco uninstall git nodejs mongodb.install mongodb-compass amazon-q postman arc-browser vscode warp-terminal -y

To uninstall Chocolatey (run in Administrator PowerShell):

Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "$env:ProgramData\chocolatey"
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('Path', ($env:Path -replace ';C:\\ProgramData\\chocolatey\\bin',''), 'Machine')

Linux

For APT (Ubuntu/Debian):

sudo apt remove --purge nodejs git mongodb-org -y
sudo snap remove code
sudo rm -rf ~/.bun ~/.nvm ~/.npm ~/.config/bun

For Pacman (Arch/Manjaro):

sudo pacman -Rns nodejs npm git code mongodb --noconfirm
rm -rf ~/.bun ~/.nvm ~/.npm ~/.config/bun

15. Resources

• Express.js Docs
• TypeScript Docs
• MongoDB Atlas
• TMDB API Docs
• Bun Docs

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16. Feedback & Suggestions

Your feedback is incredibly valuable and helps improve these resources for the entire community.

Whether you've followed a tutorial, read the documentation, watched a video, or used a script—I'd love to hear your thoughts!

What you can share:

• What worked well for you?
• What was unclear or confusing?
• Suggestions for improvement or new topics?
• Bugs or outdated instructions?

Submit your feedback here:

Submit Feedback Form

Your input helps shape better content for developers like you. Thank you!

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