Project Overview and Setup
 

• Create a new Lovable project and open its file editor. In this project, you will build an Affiliate Tracking App that uses Node.js with Express and Mongoose for MongoDB integration.
• Since Lovable has no terminal, you will add dependency configurations directly in a file. Create a file named package.json in the root of your project and paste the following code:

{
  "name": "affiliate-tracking-app",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "Affiliate Tracking Application built with Lovable",
  "main": "index.js",
  "dependencies": {
    "express": "^4.17.1",
    "body-parser": "^1.19.0",
    "mongoose": "^5.10.9"
  },
  "scripts": {
    "start": "node index.js"
  },
  "license": "MIT"
}

• This file tells Lovable which dependencies to load. There is no terminal access, so dependencies are installed based on this configuration.

 
Configuring Application Settings
 

• Create a new file called config.js in your project root. This file will hold configuration settings such as the server port and MongoDB connection string.
• Paste the following code into config.js:

module.exports = {
  port: process.env.PORT || 3000,
  mongoURI: "YourMongoDBConnectionStringHere"
};

• Replace "YourMongoDBConnectionStringHere" with your actual MongoDB connection string.

 
Setting Up the Server and Database Connection
 

• Create a file named index.js in the root folder. This file will be the main entry point for your app.
• Insert the following code into index.js to set up the Express server, connect to MongoDB, and include routing for affiliate functionality:

const express = require("express");
const bodyParser = require("body-parser");
const mongoose = require("mongoose");
const config = require("./config");
const affiliateRouter = require("./affiliate");

const app = express();
app.use(bodyParser.json());
// Connect to MongoDB
mongoose.connect(config.mongoURI, { useNewUrlParser: true, useUnifiedTopology: true })
  .then(() => console.log("MongoDB connected"))
  .catch(err => console.error("MongoDB connection error:", err));
// Set up routes
app.use("/affiliate", affiliateRouter);
app.get("/", (req, res) => {
  res.send("Affiliate Tracking App is Running");
});
app.listen(config.port, () => {
  console.log(Server running on port ${config.port});
});

• This code configures the server to listen on a specified port and establishes a connection to MongoDB using Mongoose.

 
Building the Affiliate Tracking Logic
 

• Create a file named affiliate.js in the project root. This file will handle affiliate click tracking and statistics.
• Copy and paste the following code into affiliate.js:

const express = require("express");
const router = express.Router();
const mongoose = require("mongoose");

// Define the Affiliate schema and model
const affiliateSchema = new mongoose.Schema({
  affiliateId: String,
  clickCount: { type: Number, default: 0 }
});
const Affiliate = mongoose.model("Affiliate", affiliateSchema);
// Endpoint to track an affiliate click and redirect the user
router.get("/track", async (req, res) => {
  const { id, redirectUrl } = req.query;
  if (!id || !redirectUrl) {
    return res.status(400).send("Missing parameters");
  }
  let affiliate = await Affiliate.findOne({ affiliateId: id });
  if (!affiliate) {
    affiliate = new Affiliate({ affiliateId: id, clickCount: 0 });
  }
  affiliate.clickCount += 1;
  await affiliate.save();
  res.redirect(redirectUrl);
});
// Endpoint to view affiliate statistics
router.get("/stats", async (req, res) => {
  const { id } = req.query;
  if (!id) {
    return res.status(400).send("Missing affiliate id");
  }
  const affiliate = await Affiliate.findOne({ affiliateId: id });
  if (!affiliate) {
    return res.status(404).send("Affiliate not found");
  }
  res.json({ affiliateId: affiliate.affiliateId, clickCount: affiliate.clickCount });
});
module.exports = router;

• The first endpoint (/affiliate/track) increases the click count for a given affiliate ID before redirecting the user to the specified landing page.
• The second endpoint (/affiliate/stats) returns the number of clicks recorded for a specific affiliate.

 
Integrating and Testing the App
 

• Ensure all four files (package.json, config.js, index.js, and affiliate.js) are saved in your Lovable project.
• When you press the Run button in Lovable, the application should start automatically. Lovable will use your package.json to resolve dependencies.
• Visit the root URL (e.g., YourAppURL/) to see a confirmation message that the Affiliate Tracking App is running.
• Test the affiliate tracking functionality by using a URL similar to: YourAppURL/affiliate/track?id=AFFILIATE\_ID&redirectUrl=https://YourLandingPage.com. The system will log the click and redirect to your defined landing page.
• To view affiliate statistics, access: YourAppURL/affiliate/stats?id=AFFILIATE\_ID

 
Final Notes
 

• This guide provides a basic affiliate tracking functionality. You can enhance this app by adding error handling, security features, and a user-friendly dashboard.
• Adjust configurations in config.js and enhance the functionality in affiliate.js as needed.

 
Understanding the Project Requirements
 

• Define the main objectives for your affiliate tracking app, such as tracking clicks, conversions, and commissions.
• Decide on features like user authentication, campaign management, reporting dashboards, and automated notifications.
• Consider how AI