Authentication and Session Management

Implementing user authentication and session management posed a significant challenge. Ensuring secure user login, handling sessions, and protecting against potential vulnerabilities required thorough consideration.

Specific Bug or Hurdle:

One specific issue we faced was related to session handling using Passport.js. The

passport.deserializeUser

function was not working as expected, leading to difficulties in retrieving user information from the session.

How We Overcame It:

To overcome this challenge, we carefully reviewed the Passport.js documentation and identified that the issue was related to the asynchronous nature of the

deserializeUser

function. We adjusted the implementation to use

await

when querying the database for user information, ensuring proper session handling.

Code Organization and Modularity

As the project grew in complexity, maintaining a clean and organized codebase became crucial. Ensuring modularity and a clear structure posed ongoing challenges.

Specific Bug or Hurdle:

At times,the lack of clear code structure made it challenging to locate and debug specific functionalities. It also affected collaboration among team members.

How We Overcame It:

We addressed this challenge by refactoring the codebase into separate modules and files. Each major functionality (e.g., authentication, user registration, appointments) was organized into dedicated files, enhancing code readability and simplifying maintenance.

Database Model Relationships

Establishing and maintaining relationships between MongoDB models (User, Patient, Doctor) presented challenges, especially when dealing with nested data and references.

Specific Bug or Hurdle:

We encountered issues with populating nested references, leading to incomplete data retrieval and unexpected behavior.
Overcoming challenge : -To address this, we revisited our MongoDB schema designs and adjusted the way references were defined.