Feature: bulk certificate verification

[Gunjan10-droid]

Pull Request Description

Adds the backend foundation for bulk certificate verification by introducing a new bulk verification API endpoint and frontend service integration.

Changes Made

• Added a new backend endpoint:

  • POST /api/certificates/verify-bulk

• Added verifyBulkCertificates controller to handle bulk verification requests.

• Registered the new API route in certificateRoutes.js.

• Added a frontend service method verifyBulkCertificates() to interact with the new API.

This PR lays the groundwork for implementing CSV-based bulk verification in future updates.

Related Issue: Closes #122

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Checklist

Code Quality

• My code follows the project's coding style
• I have self-reviewed my code
• I have commented my code, particularly in complex areas
• I have made corresponding changes to documentation
• My changes generate no new warnings/errors
• I have added tests that prove my fix/feature works

Testing

• All existing tests pass (npm test or your test command)
• I have added/updated tests covering at least 80% of changes

Security & Performance (for CertiNova)

• No sensitive data (passwords, tokens) in code
• Input validation added for bulk UUID requests
• CSV/Excel processing handles edge cases (planned in subsequent work)
• Certificate generation works for bulk operations (1000+ records)
• Changes don't introduce memory leaks (tested with large datasets)

UI/UX (if applicable)

• UI changes are responsive (not applicable)
• Loading states are shown for async operations
• Error messages are user-friendly
• Screenshots/recordings attached below

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Type of Change

• New feature (non-breaking change that adds functionality)
• Bug fix
• Breaking change
• Documentation update
• UI/Style update
• Performance improvement
• Security fix
• Test update
• Configuration change

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Screenshots / Recordings

N/A (Backend API changes only)

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How Has This Been Tested?

Manual Testing

• Verified the new bulk verification endpoint is registered.
• Verified frontend service integration.
• Reviewed controller and routing changes.

Note: Full runtime testing requires project environment variables (MongoDB URI and Cloudinary credentials), which were not available in the development environment.

Test Configuration

• OS: GitHub Codespaces (Linux)
• Browser: N/A
• Node Version: 18+
• Database: MongoDB (environment not configured)
• Deployment: Local development

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PR Readiness Checklist

• PR title follows the contributing guidelines
• PR has a descriptive title and linked issue
• CI/CD pipeline passes all checks
• No merge conflicts with main branch
• All review comments have been addressed

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Additional Context

This PR introduces the backend API foundation for bulk certificate verification.

Frontend CSV upload, results table, CSV export, and complete end-to-end integration will be implemented in follow-up work after confirming the preferred verification UI flow with the maintainers.

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[Gunjan10-droid]

@12fahed could you review the pr?

[Gunjan10-droid]

@12fahed could you merge this pr?

[12fahed]

How will the bulk verification endpoint be triggered? There needs to be some interface to interact with it. Maybe we can add a CSV upload option on the frontend to submit UUIDs.

[Gunjan10-droid]

@12fahed Hi! Thanks for the feedback. I implemented the backend bulk verification API first as a foundation. Would you be okay merging the backend changes in this PR, and I can open a follow-up PR for the CSV upload UI, results table, and CSV export? I thought splitting the work would make it easier to review and maintain.

[Gunjan10-droid]

Done

[12fahed]

@12fahed Hi! Thanks for the feedback. I implemented the backend bulk verification API first as a foundation. Would you be okay merging the backend changes in this PR, and I can open a follow-up PR for the CSV upload UI, results table, and CSV export? I thought splitting the work would make it easier to review and maintain.

@Gunjan10-droid as this feature includes both backend and frontend changes, we cant move ahead without frontend implementation. Would you be open to make subsequent frontend changes. When its about splitting work then it can be done, we can review in parts but the feature needs to be completed in one PR before merging