Quick Start

Prerequisites

Before setting up HCG AI, ensure you have the following installed on your local machine:

Node.js: Version 16.0 or higher.
PostgreSQL: A running instance of Postgres.
Git: For version control and cloning.

1. Installation

Clone the repository and install the project dependencies using npm:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/UditAkhourii/hcgai.git
cd hcgai

# Install dependencies
npm install

2. Database Setup

Create the Database

Ensure PostgreSQL is running, then create a new database for the application:

createdb hcgai_db

Install PostgreSQL (if required)

macOS (Homebrew): brew install postgresql && brew services start postgresql
Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt update && sudo apt install postgresql postgresql-contrib
Windows: Download the PostgreSQL installer.

3. Environment Configuration

Create a .env file in the root directory and populate it with your credentials. This file is required for database connectivity, authentication, and AI features.

# Database connection string
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://username:password@localhost:5432/hcgai_db

# OpenAI API Key for chatbot features
OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key_here

# SMTP credentials for password resets
SMTP_PASS=your_smtp_password_here

# Security
SESSION_SECRET=your_secure_session_secret_here
PORT=5000

Note: Without a valid OPENAI_API_KEY, the AI Chatbot feature will be disabled. Without SMTP_PASS, email-based password recovery will not function.

4. Initialize Database Schema

The application uses Drizzle ORM for database management. Push the schema to your local database to create the necessary tables (users, entries, sessions):

# Push the schema to the database
npm run db:push

# If you are resetting an existing database
npm run db:push --force

5. Launch the Application

Once the database is initialized, start the Express server:

# Start the production-ready server
npm start

Alternatively, for development/testing:

node simple-app-server.js

6. Access the Dashboard

Open your web browser and navigate to: http://localhost:5000

From here, you can register a new account to begin tracking HCG blood tests, analyzing ultrasound scans, and utilizing the medical risk assessment tools.

Troubleshooting