Zec Bounties - Local Development Setup

Bounty Platform with Native ZEC Payments

The project consists of:

• Frontend – User interface built with Next.js.
• Backend – REST API for authentication, bounty management, submissions, and Zcash payments.

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Prerequisites

Before getting started, ensure you have the following installed:

• Node.js
• npm and/or Yarn
• Prisma
• Zebrad
• Zaino
• Zingo-cli

For Zcash node setup, see the ZecHub Developer Resources:

https://zechub.wiki/developers

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Project Setup

Backend

1. Navigate to the backend directory

cd zec-bounties-backend

2. Install dependencies

npm install

3. Initialize Prisma

npx prisma init

4. Generate Prisma Client

npx prisma generate

5. Run the initial migration

npx prisma migrate dev --name init

6. Push the database schema

npx prisma db push

7. Start the backend

npm run dev

The backend runs at:

http://localhost:9000

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Frontend

1. Navigate to the frontend directory

cd zec-bounties-frontend

2. Install dependencies

yarn install

3. Start the development server

yarn dev

The frontend runs at:

http://localhost:3000

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Environment Variables

Create a .env file inside the backend directory (it is automatically created after running npx prisma init).

Example:

USER="USER_NAME"

PORT=9000

DATABASE_URL="file:./dev.db" # For local setup
JWT_SECRET="JWT_SECRET"

ZCASH_RPC_USER=rpcuser
ZCASH_RPC_PASS=rpcpassword
ZCASH_RPC_URL=http://localhost:8232
ZINGO_CLI=path/to/your/zingo-cli

# GitHub OAuth
GITHUB_CLIENT_ID=GITHUB_CLIENT_ID
GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET=GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET

FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:3000
BACKEND_URL=http://localhost:9000

SMTP_USER=mail
SMTP_PASS=password

NODE_ENV=development
DEV_EMAIL_FALLBACK=mail

Update these values to match your local environment.

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Development

Start the backend:

cd zec-bounties-backend
npm run dev

Start the frontend:

cd zec-bounties-frontend
yarn dev

Once both services are running, open:

Frontend: http://localhost:3000
Backend:  http://localhost:9000

NOTES & LIMITATIONS

• Database: SQLite (dev.db) for local use (Not Production). No external DB needed initially.
• To reset DB: delete dev.db and re-run npx prisma db push.
• Zcash integration (payments, shielded tx, etc.) requires Zebrad + Zaino running and correctly configured in .env. Without them, bounty creation/submission UI may work but actual ZEC transfers will fail.
• GitHub login is used for authentication. Set up a GitHub OAuth App at https://github.com/settings/developers and use the Client ID/Secret. For quick testing you can temporarily bypass auth in code if needed.
• Both parts have their own lockfiles (yarn.lock / package-lock.json). Do not mix package managers.
• Production deployment uses Vercel for frontend (see https://bounties.zechub.wiki/).
• For issues or updates, check the subfolder README.md files or open issues on the GitHub repo.
• This setup guide is derived from repo structure and sub-READMEs (as of July 2026). Always verify commands work in your environment.

TROUBLESHOOTING

• Prisma errors: Ensure you ran npx prisma generate after any schema changes.
• Port conflicts: Change ports in next.config.mjs (frontend) or server.js / .env (backend) if needed.
• Yarn issues: Delete node_modules + yarn.lock and re-run yarn install.
• Missing env vars: Double-check .env file location (must be in backend root) and restart backend.
• Zcash RPC connection refused: Confirm Zebrad is running, RPC is enabled on the URL/port in .env, and credentials match.

For the most up-to-date info, visit the GitHub repo: https://github.com/ZecHub/zec-bounties