Rasterex Database server back-end

You can get our db back-end from our github here.

DB back-end

https://github.com/Rasterex-Software/dbbackend

rx-back-end

Backend service for authentication, web socket, user management, projects, and annotations.

Set up viewer to use db

In order for the Rasterex Web Viewer to get access to your db back end you will need to provide a valid URL to the db back-end server in the assets/scripts/rxconfig.js file

The line to change in rxconfig.js is this line. This will default point to the official Rasterex db back-end server.

   var apiBaseURL = "https://rxserver.rasterex.com/";
   //change to your own server location

   var apiBaseURL = "https://myserver.mydomain.com/";

Quick Start Checklist

Follow these steps to set up the rx-back-end for the first time:

This db-backend requires Node.js and PostgreSQL to be installed on the server.

Install prerequisites
- Install Node.js v18+ (includes npm)
- Install PostgreSQL v17+
Acquire and prepare project files
- Option A: Clone the repository (developer setup)
```
git clone <repo-url>
cd rx-back-end
```
- Option B: Copy files to the server (deployment setup)
  - Create a folder on the server, e.g. C:\rx-back-end (Windows) or /opt/rx-back-end (Linux).
  - Copy the following into that folder:
    - app/ (source files: controllers/, models/, routes/, etc.)
    - server.js
    - seed.js
    - swagger.js
    - package.json
    - package-lock.json
    - Scripts/ (SQL setup scripts)
    - .env.example
    - docs/ (documentation)
Install dependencies
Open a terminal/command prompt, navigate to the folder where the files are located, and run:
```
npm install
```

Configure environment variables

Copy .env.example to .env
Update database credentials, server port, and CORS origin
On Linux/Mac:
```
cp .env.example .env
```
On Windows (PowerShell/Command Prompt):
```
copy .env.example .env
```

Example .env values:

# Database configuration
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=5432
DB_USER=postgres
DB_PASSWORD=postgres
DB_NAME=rxdb

# Server port
PORT=8080

# Allowed origin (CORS)
# Set this to the frontend domain that will connect to the API.
# For development, use http://localhost:4200
ALLOWED_ORIGIN=https://myserver.mydomain.com

Set up the database

Run provided scripts from the Scripts/ folder:
- Windows: ./Scripts/setup_db.bat
- Linux/Mac: ./Scripts/setup_db.sh

Or run SQL manually with psql:

psql -U <username> -d rxdb -f Scripts/create_tables.sql
psql -U <username> -d rxdb -f Scripts/schema.sql
psql -U <username> -d rxdb -f Scripts/insert_data.sql

To reset the database:

Windows:
```
./Scripts/drop_tables.bat
```

Manual:

psql -U <username> -d rxdb -f Scripts/drop_tables.sql

Start the backend server
```
npm start
```
- Server runs at http://localhost:8080
- Swagger docs available at http://localhost:8080/api-docs
(Optional) Run as a service with PM2

PM2 is a process manager for Node.js. It keeps the backend running in the background, restarts it if it crashes, and can auto-start on boot.
- Install PM2 globally:
```
npm install -g pm2
pm2 -v
```
- Start the service:
```
pm2 start server.js --name "rx-backend"
```
- Monitor logs and processes:
```
pm2 ps
pm2 logs rx-backend
```
- Stop or restart:
```
pm2 stop rx-backend
pm2 restart rx-backend
```
- Enable auto-start on reboot:
```
pm2 startup
pm2 save
```

Troubleshooting

Port already in use → Change PORT in .env.
DB connection errors → Verify PostgreSQL is running, .env values are correct.
Swagger not loading → Ensure the server runs without errors (npm start).
CORS issues → Update ALLOWED_ORIGIN in .env to match your frontend domain.

DB back-end​

rx-back-end

Set up viewer to use db​

Quick Start Checklist​

Troubleshooting​

DB back-end

Set up viewer to use db

Quick Start Checklist

Troubleshooting