betterstack

Overview

betterstack is a software comparison platform designed for developers. The application provides a structured way to evaluate and compare different software tools based on defined criteria and categories. It features a robust backend for managing data and a modern frontend for a seamless user experience.

Tech Stack

• Frontend: Next.js 16.1.6, Tailwind CSS.
• Backend: NestJS 11, TypeORM, PostgreSQL.
• Infrastructure: Docker and Docker Compose for local development.

Project Structure

betterstack/
├── backend/          # NestJS API — categories, criteria, software, users
├── frontend/         # Next.js UI
└── docker-compose.yml

Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js 22+ and npm 10+
• Docker and Docker Compose (required for the database)

Set up .env files

The applications require backend/.env.development and frontend/.env.development to run. These files are git-ignored, so you need to create them manually.

You can use the contents of backend/.env.development.example and frontend/.env.development.example as a starting point.

Option A — Everything in Docker (recommended for a clean start)

Starts the frontend, backend, and PostgreSQL in containers with hot reload via volume mounts:

docker-compose up -d

Service	URL
Frontend	http://localhost:3000
Backend	http://localhost:3010
PostgreSQL	localhost:5432

Stop all services:

docker-compose down

Option B — DB in Docker, apps on the host

Useful when you want native Node.js performance and direct access to logs.

1. Start only PostgreSQL:

   npm run db:local:up

2. Install dependencies (once):

   npm install

3. (Optional) Seed the database with sample data:

   npm run db:seed:dev

4. Start backend and frontend concurrently with hot reload:

   npm run dev

   Or start them separately:

   npm run be:dev   # NestJS on port 3010
   npm run fe:dev   # Next.js on port 3000

Note

Pending migrations are applied automatically when the backend starts.

5. Stop PostgreSQL when done:

   npm run db:local:down

Database Migrations

Migrations are plain JS files tracked in backend/database/migrations/.
The TypeORM data-source is at backend/database/data-source.js.

Note

Build the backend before generating a migration so the data-source reads up-to-date compiled entities:

npm run build

Command	Description
npm run db:migration:gen -- database/migrations/MyName	Generate a migration from entity diff
npm run db:migration:rev	Revert the last migration

Dev Seeding

The backend/database/dev-seed.js script populates a development database with a representative graph of sample data. It is idempotent — re-running it skips any entity that already exists by its unique key.

npm run db:seed:dev

Note

Requires the database to be running. Pending migrations are applied automatically when the backend starts.