Gator

A command-line RSS feed aggregator built with Node.js, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, and Drizzle ORM.

Gator allows users to:

• Create and switch between users
• Add and follow RSS feeds
• Periodically fetch posts from followed feeds
• Browse posts sorted from newest to oldest

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Tech Stack

• Node.js (via nvm)
• TypeScript
• PostgreSQL
• Drizzle ORM
• Drizzle Kit (migrations)

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Installation

1. Install Node (recommended via nvm)

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.7/install.sh | bash
nvm install --lts
nvm use --lts

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2. Install PostgreSQL

macOS

brew install postgresql@16
brew services start postgresql@16

Linux

sudo apt update
sudo apt install postgresql postgresql-contrib
sudo service postgresql start

Verify:

psql --version

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3. Create the Database

psql postgres            # macOS
sudo -u postgres psql    # Linux

CREATE DATABASE gator;
\c gator

(Linux only)

ALTER USER postgres PASSWORD 'postgres';

Exit with:

\q

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4. Configure Database Connection

Create:

nano ~/.gatorconfig.json

Add:

{
  "db_url": "postgres://username:password@localhost:5432/gator?sslmode=disable"
}

Update drizzle.config.ts to use the same URL.

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5. Install Dependencies

npm install
npm install drizzle-orm postgres
npm install -D drizzle-kit

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6. Run Migrations

npx drizzle-kit generate
npx drizzle-kit migrate

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Usage

All commands are run with:

npm run start <command>

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Commands

User Management

Register:

npm run start register <username>

Login:

npm run start login <username>

List users:

npm run start users

Reset database:

npm run start reset

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Feed Management

Add feed:

npm run start addfeed <feedName> <feedURL>

List feeds:

npm run start feeds

Follow feed:

npm run start follow <feedURL>

Show followed feeds:

npm run start following

Unfollow feed:

npm run start unfollow <feedURL>

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Aggregate Feeds

npm run start agg 1m

Supported time units:

• ms
• s
• m
• h

Stop with:

CTRL + C

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Browse Posts

npm run start browse <numberOfPosts>

Example:

npm run start browse 5

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Example Workflow

npm run start register niklas
npm run start login niklas
npm run start addfeed aktivprat https://anchor.fm/s/f8958960/podcast/rss
npm run start follow https://anchor.fm/s/f8958960/podcast/rss
npm run start agg 1m
npm run start browse 5

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Notes

• Use RSS feed URLs (not Spotify links).
• Posts are sorted by publication date (newest first).
• Designed as a local development CLI project.