Server Development & Testing

The apps/server package powers the NexisChat backend. Use this guide when you need to spin it up locally or run the Vitest-based test suite.

Local Development

npm install
npm run dev
open http://localhost:3000

These commands install dependencies, start the development server, and open the default landing page in your browser.

Testing

Prerequisites

Tests require a PostgreSQL instance. The quickest option is Docker:

docker run -d \
  --name nexischat-test-db \
  -e POSTGRES_USER=postgres \
  -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=postgres \
  -e POSTGRES_DB=nexis_chat_test \
  -p 5432:5432 \
  postgres:16-alpine

Run the Suite

pnpm test

Test Environment Variables

Tests load configuration from .env.test. Create it from .env.example if it is missing. The most important values are:

• DATABASE_URL: PostgreSQL connection string (default postgres://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/nexis_chat_test).
• CI=true: Skips strict environment validation during automated runs.
• NODE_ENV=test: Ensures the app boots in test mode.

With the database running and the environment file in place, pnpm test will exercise all server unit and integration tests.