Voting API using Node.js and MongoDB

Welcome to this tutorial on building a Voting API using Node.js, Express, and MongoDB. This project demonstrates how to build a RESTful backend for managing voting polls — including creation, voting, and result viewing — in a clean and modular way.

Introduction to the Voting API

The Voting API is a backend project that lets users:

• ✅ Create polls with multiple options
• 🗳️ Vote on existing polls
• 📊 View all polls and their current results

This project is ideal for learning how REST APIs work, managing a MongoDB database using Mongoose, and structuring a scalable Node.js backend.

Project Setup

To run this API on your machine, follow these steps:

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/gautamkaran/Voting-api.git
cd Voting-api

2. Install Dependencies

npm install

3. Create .env File

Add your MongoDB URI and port in a new .env file:

PORT=5000
MONGO_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/voting-api

4. Start the Server

npm start

The server will start on http://localhost:5000

API Features

➕ Create a New Poll

Endpoint: POST /api/vote/create

Request Body:

{
  "question": "What is your favorite frontend framework?",
  "options": ["React", "Vue", "Angular", "Svelte"]
}

🗳️ Vote on a Poll

Endpoint: PUT /api/vote/:id

Request Body:

{
  "option": "React"
}

📃 View All Polls

Endpoint: GET /api/vote

Returns a list of all polls with their questions, options, and vote counts.

Tech Stack

• Node.js – JavaScript runtime
• Express.js – Web framework
• MongoDB – NoSQL database
• Mongoose – ODM for MongoDB
• dotenv – For managing environment variables

Folder Structure

Voting-api/
│
├── config/              # Database connection
│   └── db.js
├── models/              # Mongoose models
│   └── Vote.js
├── routes/              # API routes
│   └── voteRoutes.js
├── server.js            # Entry point
├── .env                 # Environment variables
├── package.json         # Dependencies
└── README.md

Sample Data Flow

1. User sends a POST request to /api/vote/create

• Question and options are stored in MongoDB

2. Another user sends a PUT request to /api/vote/:id

• The vote count for the selected option is incremented

3. A GET request to /api/vote returns the list of all polls with results

Ideal Use Cases

• 🧪 Classroom or quiz voting
• 🗳️ Feedback or survey collection
• 🧑‍💻 Backend practice for junior developers

Author

Karan Kumar Gautam
🔗 GitHub | 🌐 Portfolio

License

MIT – Use it freely in your projects

Conclusion

This Voting API project is a great way to get hands-on experience with REST APIs, MongoDB, and Node.js. It’s clean, easy to extend, and ready to be used in real applications.

Happy coding!