Think Chef 🍳

A full-stack recipe management app built with React, Node.js, PostgreSQL, and OpenAI API, deployed on AWS (EC2, RDS, S3). Features AI-powered recipe generation, secure infrastructure, and modern cloud deployment.

🚀 Project Overview

Think Chef lets users discover, add, and manage recipes with a modern UI and secure, scalable backend. The app is production-ready, cost-optimized for AWS Free Tier, and follows best practices for security and deployment. It also features AI-powered recipe generation using OpenAI.

🌐 Live Demo

• Frontend: (http://think-chef-frontend-2025.s3-website.us-east-2.amazonaws.com)
• Backend API: http://52.14.60.162:3000

🛠️ Features

• User authentication (Firebase)
• Add, view, and search recipes
• AI-powered recipe generation (OpenAI, HuggingFace)
• Profile management
• Responsive, mobile-friendly UI
• Secure API with PostgreSQL database
• Deployed on AWS (EC2, RDS, S3)

📦 Tech Stack

• Frontend: React, Vite, Tailwind CSS
• Backend: Node.js, Express, PostgreSQL
• Cloud: AWS EC2, RDS, S3
• AI: OpenAI.
• Other: PM2, dotenv, Firebase Auth

🏁 Getting Started

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/your-username/think-chef.git
cd think-chef

2. Install dependencies

cd backend
npm install
cd ../frontend
npm install

3. Set up environment variables

• Copy .env.production.template in backend/ to .env.production and fill in your secrets (including OpenAI/HuggingFace keys).
• Copy .env.production in frontend/ and update API/Firebase keys as needed.

4. Run locally

Backend:

cd backend
npm run dev

Frontend:

cd frontend
npm run dev

5. Build for production

Frontend:

cd frontend
npm run build

🏗️ Deployment

The project follows a robust, production-grade AWS deployment pipeline:

1. Database (RDS PostgreSQL):

   • Provisioned a PostgreSQL instance on AWS RDS within a private VPC for security
   • Configured security groups, SSL, automated backups, and restricted public access
   • Ran database migrations to set up schema and initial data

2. Backend (EC2):

   • Launched an Amazon Linux EC2 instance in the same VPC as RDS
   • Installed Node.js, PM2, and cloned the backend repository
   • Configured environment variables securely (never committed secrets)
   • Deployed the backend API with PM2 for process management and auto-restart
   • Set up CORS, SSL, and health check endpoints for production
   • Opened only necessary ports via security groups

3. Frontend (S3 Static Hosting):

   • Built the React frontend for production using Vite
   • Created and configured an S3 bucket for static website hosting
   • Uploaded the frontend build to S3 and set public read policy
   • (Optional) CloudFront CDN and custom domain can be added for HTTPS and global distribution

4. Integration & Security:

   • All API calls use environment-based URLs for seamless local/production switching
   • CORS configured to allow only trusted origins (S3/CloudFront)
   • Infrastructure hardened for security and AWS Free Tier cost optimization
   • AI-powered recipe generation enabled via OpenAI APIs

This approach ensures a scalable, secure, and cost-effective deployment suitable for production and demonstration purposes.

📄 Documentation

🤝 Contributing

Pull requests are welcome! For major changes, open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

📧 Contact

For questions, open an issue or contact the maintainer.

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Deployed with AWS Free Tier: EC2, RDS, S3, and best practices for security, AI integration, and cost optimization.