PasteCTL Web

A modern code snippet sharing platform with syntax highlighting and expirable pastes. Built with Next.js frontend and Go backend.

Overview

PasteCTL Web is a lightweight pastebin alternative that allows developers to share code snippets quickly and securely. Each paste can be configured with custom expiry times and supports syntax highlighting for multiple programming languages.

Features

• Syntax Highlighting: Support for multiple programming languages with automatic syntax detection
• Custom Expiry Times: Set pastes to expire after 1 hour, 24 hours, or custom durations
• Live Editing: Real-time collaborative editing using WebSocket connections
• View Tracking: Monitor paste view counts
• Raw Content Access: Retrieve paste content in raw format via API
• CLI Integration: Access and manage pastes from the command line using PasteCTL CLI
• Automatic Cleanup: Scheduled job to delete expired pastes

Architecture

Frontend

• Framework: Next.js with React
• Styling: Tailwind CSS
• Deployment: AWS Amplify
• Live URL: paste.sumedh.app

Backend

• Language: Go 1.24.0
• Framework: Gin Web Framework
• Database: PostgreSQL (via pgx driver)
• WebSocket: Gorilla WebSocket for live editing
• Deployment: AWS EC2
• Testing: Testcontainers for integration tests

Tech Stack

Backend Dependencies

• Gin: Web framework with CORS support
• pgx/v5: PostgreSQL driver and toolkit
• Gorilla WebSocket: WebSocket implementation
• godotenv: Environment variable management
• Testcontainers: Testing with containerized PostgreSQL

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Go 1.24.0 or higher
• PostgreSQL database
• Node.js 18+ (for frontend)

Backend Setup

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/sumedhvats/pastectl_web.git
cd pastectl_web

2. Install dependencies:

go mod download

3. Configure environment variables: Create a .env file in the root directory:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/pastes
FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:3000

4. Run the server:

go run main.go

The backend server will start on http://localhost:8080

Frontend Setup

1. Navigate to the frontend directory:

cd frontend

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Run the development server:

npm run dev

The frontend will be available at http://localhost:3000

API Endpoints

Paste Operations

• POST /api/pastes - Create a new paste
• GET /api/pastes/:id - Get paste by ID
• GET /api/pastes/:id/raw - Get raw paste content
• PUT /api/pastes/:id - Update existing paste
• PUT /api/pastes/:id/view - Increment view count

WebSocket

• GET /api/ws/:id - WebSocket endpoint for live editing

Database Schema

The application uses PostgreSQL with the following main table structure:

CREATE TABLE pastes (
    id VARCHAR PRIMARY KEY,
    content TEXT NOT NULL,
    language VARCHAR NOT NULL,
    expire_at TIMESTAMP,
    views INTEGER DEFAULT 0,
    created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW()
);

Testing

The project includes comprehensive test coverage:

Running Tests

# Run all tests
go test ./...

# Run tests with coverage
go test -cover ./...

# Run specific test suite
go test ./internal/db/...
go test ./internal/http/...
go test ./internal/paste/...

Test Structure

• Database Tests: Integration tests using Testcontainers with PostgreSQL
• HTTP Handler Tests: Unit tests with mocked services
• Service Tests: Integration tests for business logic

Project Structure

pastectl_web/
├── cmd/
│   └── scheduledJob/      # Background job for cleanup
├── internal/
│   ├── db/                # Database layer
│   ├── http/              # HTTP handlers
│   ├── paste/             # Business logic
│   └── ws/                # WebSocket handlers
├── migrations/            # Database migrations
├── tests/                 # Test suites
│   ├── db_test/
│   ├── http_test/
│   └── service_test/
├── frontend/              # Next.js application
│   ├── app/
│   │   └── paste/
│   ├── components/
│   └── public/
├── main.go
└── go.mod

CLI Integration

PasteCTL includes a dedicated command-line interface for terminal users. Visit the PasteCTL CLI repository for installation and usage instructions.

Deployment

Backend (AWS EC2)

The Go backend is deployed on AWS EC2 with the following configuration:

• PostgreSQL database
• Environment variables configured via .env
• CORS enabled for frontend domain

Frontend (AWS Amplify)

The Next.js frontend is deployed on AWS Amplify with automatic deployments on push to main branch.

Environment Variables

Backend

Variable	Description	Required
DATABASE_URL	PostgreSQL connection string	Yes
FRONTEND_URL	Frontend application URL for CORS	Yes

Frontend

Configuration is handled through Next.js environment variables (refer to frontend documentation).

Scheduled Jobs

The application includes a background scheduler that runs periodic tasks:

• Expired Paste Cleanup: Automatically deletes pastes that have exceeded their expiry time

Security Features

• CORS configuration for cross-origin requests
• Input validation on all endpoints
• SQL injection prevention via parameterized queries
• Automatic expiry of sensitive content

Performance

• Connection pooling for database operations
• Efficient WebSocket connections for live editing
• Automatic cleanup to prevent database bloat

Development

Running in Development Mode

Backend:

go run main.go

Frontend:

cd frontend
npm run dev

Code Quality

The project follows Go best practices:

• Proper error handling
• Interface-based design for testability
• Dependency injection
• Comprehensive test coverage

Related Projects

• PasteCTL CLI - Command-line interface for PasteCTL

Support

For issues, questions, or contributions, please visit the GitHub Issues page.

Made with ❤️ for the developer community..