---
title: assistiv-backend API
description: Express API service architecture, mounted route domains, and integration with Aurora and infrastructure services.
---

> **For AI agents:** the complete documentation index is at [llms.txt](/llms.txt). Append `.md` to any page URL for its markdown version.

Repository: `assistiv-backend`

## Stack

- Node.js + Express
- TypeScript
- MikroORM (via shared `mikro-orm-db-lib`)
- Redis/Valkey (`ioredis`)
- AWS SDK integrations

## Startup and Runtime

Initialization path in `app/app.ts` includes:

1. Secret injection
2. CORS setup
3. Passport/session middleware setup
4. Database connect + request context middleware
5. Redis connection
6. Router mounts

In development mode, backend serves HTTPS using local cert files and typically listens on `3000`.

## Mounted Route Domains

`app/app.ts` mounts these router prefixes:

| Prefix | Domain |
| --- | --- |
| `/auth` | Authentication and session flows |
| `/user` | User profile, progress, and overview data |
| `/course` | Course structure and activity metadata |
| `/content` | Videos/docs/resources and related content operations |
| `/quiz` | Quiz definitions and attempts |
| `/assignment` | Assignment CRUD and submissions |
| `/group` | Group membership and group-course assignment |
| `/admin` | Tenant/admin management capabilities |
| `/distribution` | Distribution/subdomain token usage |
| `/progress` | Student and classroom progress reporting |
| `/study` | Study material and tutoring session storage |
| `/` | Spaces router and root ping |
| `/log` | Frontend and Aurora error logs |
| `/system` | System admin and token limit controls |

## Aurora Integration

Aurora is consumed from backend via `app/services/auroraClient.ts`, including:

- document summarization trigger
- study-space query forwarding

A legacy backend route (`POST /spaces/:spaceId/query`) now returns `410` with guidance to call Aurora directly.

## Infrastructure Dependencies

- PostgreSQL
- Redis/Valkey
- AWS Secrets Manager
- AWS S3 (uploads and related assets)
- cloud distribution and DNS integrations (Route 53 / CloudFront variables present)

## Key Environment Variables (observed)

- `NODE_ENV`, `PORT`
- `DATABASE_*`, `DATABASE_URL`
- `REDIS_HOST`, `REDIS_PORT`, `REDIS_PASSWORD`
- `AURORA_API_URL_DEVELOPMENT`, `AURORA_API_URL_PRODUCTION`
- `AWS_REGION`
- provider and integration keys for auth, uploads, and mail