BitLance Blog & Resources Hub

Content engine for BitLance — the Bitcoin-native freelance marketplace. Optimized for SEO, AI search discovery (llms.txt), and client conversion.

Stack

• Frontend: React 19, Vite, Tailwind CSS 4, TipTap editor
• Backend: Express (TypeScript), Firebase Admin SDK, Firestore
• Media: Cloudinary
• AI: Gemini API (server-side)

Run locally

Prerequisites: Node.js 20+

npm install
cp .env.example .env.local   # then fill in the values
npm run dev

Required environment variables — see .env.example:

Variable	Purpose
GEMINI_API_KEY	Server-side Gemini calls
FIREBASE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT	Admin SDK credentials (JSON). Optional on Cloud Run (ADC is auto-detected)
ADMIN_EMAILS	Comma-separated admin allowlist
CLOUDINARY_*	Image storage

Security model

• Firestore rules deny all direct client access. Every read/write goes through the API server, which authenticates via the Firebase Admin SDK.
• Admin endpoints verify Firebase ID tokens cryptographically (verifyIdToken) and check the email against ADMIN_EMAILS.
• Admin accounts are created manually in the Firebase Console (Authentication → Add user). There is no self-serve admin signup.

Build & deploy

npm run build   # vite build + server bundle
npm start       # serve dist/server.cjs

Deployed via Cloud Run (AI Studio) or Vercel (vercel.json included — set FIREBASE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT in project env vars).

Feeds & discovery

Auto-generated at runtime: /sitemap.xml, /feed.xml (RSS), /atom.xml, /feed.json, /robots.txt, /llms.txt, /llms-full.txt.