pulse/DEVELOPMENT.md

Development Guide

This guide provides instructions for setting up and running the Pulse application directly using Node.js, typically for development or contribution purposes. Users looking to deploy Pulse should refer to the main README.md for Docker or LXC instructions.

💾 Installation (from Source)

If you intend to run the application directly from source or contribute to development, you need to install dependencies.

1. Clone the Repository:

   git clone https://github.com/rcourtman/Pulse.git
   cd Pulse
   

2. Install Root Dependencies: Navigate to the project root directory and install the necessary Node.js dependencies.

   # Install root dependencies
   npm install
   

3. Install Server Dependencies: You also need to install dependencies specifically for the server component:

   # Install server dependencies
   cd server
   npm install
   cd ..
   

▶️ Running the Application (Node.js)

These instructions assume you have completed the installation steps above.

Development Mode

To run the application in development mode, which typically enables features like hot-reloading for easier testing of changes:

npm run dev

This command starts the server (often using nodemon or a similar tool) which monitors for file changes and automatically restarts. Check the terminal output for the URL where the application is accessible (e.g., http://localhost:7655).

Production Mode (Direct Node Execution)

To run the application using a standard node process, similar to how it might run in production if not containerized:

npm run start

This command starts the server using node. Access the application via the configured host and port (defaulting to http://localhost:7655).

Note: Ensure your .env file is correctly configured in the project root directory before running either command.