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🔧 Donation System Troubleshooting Guide

🚨 Error: POST http://localhost:5000/api/donations/initialize 500 (Internal Server Error)

This error occurs when the donation initialization fails. Here's how to fix it:

🔍 Step 1: Check Environment Variables

Create or update your backend/.env file:

# Server Configuration
PORT=5000
NODE_ENV=development

# Database
MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/alembank_church

# Chapa Payment Gateway (REQUIRED)
CHAPA_SECRET_KEY=your-chapa-secret-key-here

# Frontend URL (for callbacks)
FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:3000

# Email Configuration (optional for now)
EMAIL_USER=your-email@gmail.com
EMAIL_PASS=your-app-password
EMAIL_FROM=noreply@alembankchurch.org

🔍 Step 2: Test the System

Visit this URL to check if everything is working:

http://localhost:5000/api/donations/test

This will show you:

  • ✅ Database connection status
  • ✅ Chapa API configuration
  • ✅ Environment variables status

🔍 Step 3: Get Chapa API Key

  1. Sign up at Chapa.co
  2. Go to your dashboard
  3. Copy your Secret Key
  4. Add it to your .env file

🔍 Step 4: Common Issues & Solutions

Issue 1: CHAPA_SECRET_KEY not set

Error: CHAPA_SECRET_KEY is not configured

Solution: Add your Chapa secret key to the .env file

Issue 2: Database connection failed

Error: Database connection error

Solution:

  1. Make sure MongoDB is running
  2. Check your MONGODB_URI in .env
  3. Run: mongod to start MongoDB

Issue 3: Chapa API key invalid

Error: Invalid Chapa API key

Solution:

  1. Check your Chapa dashboard for the correct key
  2. Make sure you're using the Secret Key, not Public Key
  3. Verify the key is active in your Chapa account

Issue 4: Network connection issues

Error: Unable to connect to Chapa payment service

Solution:

  1. Check your internet connection
  2. Try again in a few minutes
  3. Contact Chapa support if the issue persists

🔍 Step 5: Debug Mode

To see detailed error logs, check your backend console. The improved error handling will show:

🔍 Initializing donation: { firstName: 'John', lastName: 'Doe', ... }
✅ Donation record saved to database
🔍 Making Chapa API request to: https://api.chapa.co/v1/transaction/initialize
✅ Chapa API response status: 200
✅ Chapa API response data: { status: 'success', ... }

🔍 Step 6: Test the Frontend

  1. Start your backend:

    cd backend
npm run dev

  2. Start your frontend:

    cd frontend
npm run dev

  3. Test the donation form:

🔍 Step 7: Manual Testing

You can test the API directly using curl:

curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/api/donations/initialize \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "firstName": "Test",
    "lastName": "User",
    "email": "test@example.com",
    "phone": "1234567890",
    "amount": 100,
    "purpose": "general",
    "isAnonymous": false
  }'

🔍 Step 8: Environment Checklist

Make sure you have:

  • ✅ MongoDB running
  • ✅ Backend server running on port 5000
  • ✅ Frontend server running on port 3000
  • ✅ Chapa API key in .env
  • ✅ All required environment variables set

🔍 Step 9: Production Setup

For production, you'll need:

  1. Real Chapa API key (not test key)
  2. Proper domain URLs in environment variables
  3. SSL certificates for secure payments
  4. Email service configured for notifications

🆘 Still Having Issues?

  1. Check the backend console for detailed error messages
  2. Visit the test endpoint to see system status
  3. Verify your Chapa account is active
  4. Contact support if the issue persists

📞 Support

If you're still having issues:

  1. Check the backend console logs
  2. Test the /api/donations/test endpoint
  3. Verify all environment variables are set
  4. Make sure MongoDB is running
  5. Confirm your Chapa API key is valid