Getting Started

1) Prereqs

• Python 3.10+
• Node.js 18+ (20.19+ recommended)
• Git

⚙️ Backend Setup (Flask)

2) Clone & enter repo

git clone https://github.com/jonathan-gut/FitForecast.git
cd FitForecast

3) Create a virtual environment

macOS/Linux

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate

Windows (PowerShell)

py -m venv .venv
.\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

4) Install dependencies

python -m pip install --upgrade pip
pip install -r requirements.txt

5) PostgreSQL Setup (first-time only)

Start Postgres and create the local database:

brew services start postgresql@16           # macOS (if not running already)
createdb fitforecast

net start postgresql-x64-16                 # Windows

ensure psql is in your PATH (Apple Silicon):

echo 'export PATH="/opt/homebrew/opt/postgresql@16/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc # macOS
source ~/.zshrc

echo 'export PATH="/usr/local/opt/postgresql@16/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc    # Windows
source ~/.zshrc

check with

psql fitforecast -c "\dt"

6) Environment variables

Copy the example file and edit as needed:

cp .env.dist .env

.env keys used now

• Set

DATABASE_URL=postgresql+psycopg2://<your-username>@localhost:5432/fitforecast
PORT=5050

Replace with your macOS login name

(Other keys in .env.dist like DATABASE_URL, JWT_SECRET_KEY, WEATHER_API_KEY are placeholders for upcoming features.)

7) Run the backend + Test

Run the backend flask app (as a module)

python -m backend.app 

Then open:

http://localhost:5050/health

You should see:

{"status":"Flask app working"}

Also run/open

curl http://localhost:5050/api/items

You should see:

[]

Note: Empty right now because we have nothing in our database

💻 Frontend Setup (React + Vite)

1) Navigate to frontend

cd frontend

2) Install dependencies

npm install

3) Development Proxy

Your React dev server (Vite) runs on http://localhost:5173, and proxies API calls (like /health and /api/...) to the Flask backend on http://localhost:5050.

This is configured in frontend/vite.config.js:

server: {
  proxy: {
    "/health": "http://localhost:5050",
    "/api": "http://localhost:5050"
  }
}

4) Run the frontend

npm run dev

Then open:

http://localhost:5173

You should see:

FitForecast
Backend health: ✅ Flask app working