🚀 Prometeus-8

A robust Node.js backend service for the Interstellar Code competition, providing API communication, mission logic processing, and database persistence.

📋 Overview

This backend service handles all communication with the Galactic Command Center (GCC) server, processes mission logic for 5 different challenges, and maintains persistent state using SQLite. It serves as the engine for the Interstellar Code Control Panel frontend.

🏗️ Architecture

Core Components

• API Communication Layer: Handles all HTTP requests to the GCC server with proper authentication headers and retry logic
• Mission Processors: Dedicated modules for each of the 5 missions with specific business logic
• Database Layer: SQLite persistence for request logging and mission results
• WebSocket Server: Real-time communication with frontend for progress updates

Technology Stack

• Node.js 18+ with Express.js
• SQLite3 for lightweight persistence
• Axios for HTTP requests
• WebSocket for real-time updates
• CORS enabled for frontend integration

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18 or higher
• npm or yarn

Installation

1. Clone the repository
2. Navigate to backend directory:

cd backend

3. Install dependencies:

npm install

4. Configure environment variables:

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env with your team credentials:

TEAM_ID=your_team_id_here
API_TOKEN=your_api_token_here
PORT=3001

Running the Backend

cd backend 

node server.js

Make a new Terminal

Start the backend server:

npm run dev

You should see:

🚀 Interstellar Code Backend API running on http://localhost:3001
✅ Database initialized successfully
🔌 WebSocket server listening on port 3001

🔧 API Endpoints

Backend API (Local)

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/status	Check backend health
GET	/api/missions	List all missions
POST	/api/missions/:id/run	Execute specific mission
GET	/api/logs	View request logs
GET	/api/results	View mission results
GET	/api/connection	Check GCC connection

GCC API (External)

Method	Endpoint	Purpose
GET	/missions/:id/challenge	Retrieve mission data
POST	/missions/:id/submit	Submit mission solution

🗃️ Database Schema

RequestLogs Table

• id: Primary key, auto-increment
• timestamp: UTC datetime of transaction
• method: HTTP verb (GET/POST)
• endpoint: Target API endpoint
• request_payload: JSON of sent data
• response_payload: JSON of received data
• status_code: HTTP status code

MissionResults Table

• mission_id: Integer (1-5)
• key_metric: Critical return value (checksum, digest, hash, recovered string)
• status: Boolean indicating success

🎯 Mission Details

Mission 1: Message Decryption

• Objective: Decrypt cipher strings using various algorithms
• Algorithms: Base64, Caesar cipher, Reverse
• Output: Decoded string + checksum (sum of ASCII values)

Mission 2: Packet Filtering

• Objective: Filter packets based on complex rules
• Rules: Forbidden flags, required flags, bit count limits, parity checks
• Output: Valid PIDs array + XOR digest

Mission 3: Cryptographic Hash Chain

• Objective: Maintain SHA256 hash chain integrity
• Process: Sequential hashing of combined strings
• Output: Final hash + record count

Mission 4: Signal Reconstruction

• Objective: Reconstruct message from noisy channels
• Method: Statistical frequency analysis
• Output: Recovered string

Mission 5: The Evacuation

• Objective: Authenticate using aggregated mission data
• Requirement: All previous missions must be successful
• Process: Dynamic payload construction from database values

⚙️ Configuration

Environment Variables

# Team Configuration
TEAM_ID=your_team_id
API_TOKEN=your_api_token

# Server Configuration
PORT=3001
NODE_ENV=development

# API Configuration
API_BASE_URL=https://codewars-server.itpg-varna.bg/final/api
API_RETRY_ATTEMPTS=3
API_RETRY_DELAY=1000

# Database Configuration
DB_PATH=./database/interstellar.db

Headers for GCC Requests

All requests to the GCC server include:

• X-Team-Id: Team identifier
• X-Token: API access token
• X-Secure: Always "True"

🔌 Integration with Frontend

The backend provides:

1. REST API endpoints for mission control
2. WebSocket server for real-time updates
3. CORS enabled for local frontend (http://localhost:5173)
4. Structured error responses

Frontend connection status is visible in the "BACKEND SERVER CONTROL" section.

🚨 Error Handling

• HTTP 503 Retries: Exponential backoff for service unavailable
• Database Errors: Graceful degradation with fallback logging
• Network Issues: Timeout handling and connection monitoring
• Mission Failures: Detailed error messages with context

📊 Monitoring

Log Files

• All API requests/responses logged to SQLite
• Mission execution history
• Error tracking and debugging

Real-time Updates

• Mission progress via WebSocket
• Connection status indicators
• Success/failure notifications

🔒 Security

• API tokens stored in environment variables
• No sensitive data in codebase
• Input validation for all missions
• SQL injection protection via parameterized queries

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Backend not starting: Check if port 3001 is available
2. GCC connection failed: Verify team ID and API token
3. Database errors: Ensure write permissions in backend directory
4. Mission failures: Check request logs for detailed error information

Logs Location

• Database: ./database/interstellar.db
• Console: Real-time execution logs

📈 Performance

• Connection pooling for database
• Cached mission results
• Efficient algorithm implementations
• Minimal dependencies

🔗 Related Resources

• Frontend Repository
• Technical Specification
• How to Run Missions