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Overview

Zendocs is a starter project built with Next.js + MongoDB that helps you put your documentation and SEO on autopilot. Instead of manually creating and maintaining docs pages, you upload your documentation, and the Alchemyst Platform takes care of indexing, generating SEO-friendly pages, and enabling Q&A directly from your docs.

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Get Started

git clone https://github.com/Alchemyst-ai/zendocs.git
cd zendocs
npm install
cp .env.example .env
npm run dev   # app starts at http://localhost:4163
⚡ After setup, upload a small test file. You should see:
  • A successful request at /api/upload in DevTools
  • A record created in MongoDB
  • A new SEO-friendly page under /docs/{id}

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How It Works ?

  1. Prepare your docs – Gather your internal documentation (text, markdown, or zipped files).
  2. Create a MongoDB instance – Either self-hosted or on MongoDB Atlas.
  3. Sign up on Alchemyst Platform – Create an account and get an API KEY.
  4. Upload docs to Context Surgeon – This tool indexes your documents so the AI can use them.
  5. Set environment variables – Copy .env.example → .env and fill in: 
    BACKEND_BASE_URL=https://platform-backend.getalchemystai.com
NEXT_BACKEND_URL=http://localhost:4163   # or your deployed URL
  6. Run locally – Start the app and you’ll see your docs auto-generated with SEO pages.
  7. Ask questions – Users can search or ask questions, and get answers powered by your docs.

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Environment Variables

Set these in .env: 
ALCHEMYST_API_KEY=YOUR_ALCHEMYST_API_KEY
BACKEND_BASE_URL=YOUR_BACKEND_BASE_URL
MONGODB_URL=YOUR_MONGODB_URL
DB_NAME=YOUR_DB_NAME
DEBOUNCING_THRESHOLD=YOUR_API_DEBOUNCING_THRESHOLD_IN_MS
NEXT_APP_BACKEND_URL=http://localhost:4163
⚠️ Remember to keep .env out of version control.

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Code Structure

Root Directory
├── .env.example                 # Environment variables template
├── .eslintrc.json              # ESLint configuration
├── .gitignore                  # Git ignore rules
├── components.json             # UI components configuration
├── next.config.mjs             # Next.js configuration
├── package.json                # Project dependencies and scripts
├── postcss.config.mjs          # PostCSS configuration
├── README.md                   # Project documentation
├── tailwind.config.ts         # Tailwind CSS configuration
├── tsconfig.json              # TypeScript configuration
│
├── .azure/                    # Azure configuration directory
├── .github/                   # GitHub configuration
│   └── workflows/
│       └── codacy.yml        # Codacy security scan workflow
│
├── collections/              # API collections
│   └── apis.http            # HTTP API examples
│
├── public/                   # Public assets
│   ├── robots.txt           # SEO robots file
│   ├── fonts/              # Font files
│   └── logo/               # Logo images
│
├── scripts/                 # Utility scripts
│   └── insert-test-docs.ts  # Script to insert test documents
│
└── src/                     # Source code
    ├── app/                 # Next.js app directory
    │   ├── api/            # API routes
    │   ├── docs/           # Documentation pages
    │   ├── layout.tsx      # Root layout
    │   ├── page.tsx        # Home page
    │   └── globals.css     # Global styles
    │
    ├── components/         # React components
    │   ├── docs/          # Documentation-specific components
    │   └── ui/            # Reusable UI components
    │
    ├── lib/               # Library code
    ├── models/            # Database models
    ├── types/             # TypeScript type definitions
    └── utils/             # Utility functions

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Architecture & Flow

Zendocs is divided into four main modules: Frontend, Backend, Database, and Config. Below is a detailed breakdown with flowcharts for each module.

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1. Frontend

Handles user interactions, file uploads, and displaying documentation and search results.
Key Files:
  • src/pages/upload.tsx – Upload UI
  • src/components/DocViewer.tsx – Displays individual docs
  • src/components/Search.tsx – Search & Q&A interface

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2. Backend

Processes uploaded files, interacts with the Alchemyst AI platform, and generates SEO pages.
Key Files:
  • src/pages/api/upload.ts – API route for uploads
  • Alchemyst Platform – Indexing & embedding service
  • Page Generator – Creates SEO-friendly pages and sitemap

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3. Database

Stores metadata and document information for quick retrieval and search.
Key Files:
  • lib/mongodb.ts – MongoDB connection helper
  • models/ – MongoDB schemas

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4. Configuration

Environment variables manage API keys, backend URLs, and thresholds for debouncing requests.
Key Variables: 
ALCHEMYST_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY
BACKEND_BASE_URL=https://platform-backend.getalchemystai.com
MONGODB_URL=YOUR_MONGODB_URL
DB_NAME=YOUR_DB_NAME
NEXT_APP_BACKEND_URL=http://localhost:4163
DEBOUNCING_THRESHOLD=YOUR_API_DEBOUNCING_THRESHOLD_IN_MS

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Core Features

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1. Document Generation

Generates docs from uploaded content via Alchemyst AI. Stored in MongoDB with metadata for fast retrieval. ->generateDocs.ts

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2. Document Chat

Real-time chat for a document’s context. Integrates with Alchemyst AI for intelligent responses. -> src/components/docs/chat-app.tsx Full-text search with filtering and ranking. ->src/components/docs/doc-search.tsx

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API Endpoints

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1. Documents

  • GET /api/docs/list – List all docs
  • GET /api/docs/[docSlug] – Get a specific doc
  • POST /api/docs/search – Search docs
  • POST /api/docs/generate – Generate a new doc

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2. Chat

  • GET /api/docs/[docSlug]/chat/history – Get chat history
  • POST /api/docs/[docSlug]/chat/generate – Generate chat response

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Benefits of using Zendocs

  1. Personalized Documentation – Users get answers based on your uploaded docs
  2. SEO on Autopilot – New pages are generated and added to the sitemap automatically
  3. Fast Setup – Just connect MongoDB, add environment variables, and you’re ready

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How to Deploy ?

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Run Locally

npm install
npm run dev     # Start dev server
npm run build   # Production build

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Testing

npm run insert-test-docs  # Inserts test documents

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Deployment

Configured for Next.js hosting platforms. Default port: 4163.

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SEO & Performance

  • Automatic sitemap generation
  • Server-side rendering for better SEO
  • Optimized image loading
  • Response caching and metadata optimization

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Security

  • API route protection
  • MongoDB connection security
  • Input validation with Zod
  • XSS prevention & CORS configuration

Github

Star and look at the code