Add comprehensive local development setup guide with step-by-step instructions

Co-authored-by: architxkumar <177444949+architxkumar@users.noreply.github.com>

Author: Copilot

README.md

@@ -9,9 +9,7 @@ Built as a [learning project](https://roadmap.sh/projects/blogging-platform-api)
 - [Features](#features)
 - [Tech Stack](#tech-stack)
 - [Prerequisites](#prerequisites)
-- [Installation](#installation)
-- [Database Setup](#database-setup)
-- [Running the Application](#running-the-application)
+- [Getting Started - Local Development Setup](#getting-started---local-development-setup)
 - [API Endpoints](#api-endpoints)
   - [Create Blog Post](#create-blog-post)
   - [Update Blog Post](#update-blog-post)
@@ -45,64 +43,183 @@ Built as a [learning project](https://roadmap.sh/projects/blogging-platform-api)
 ## Prerequisites
 
 - Go 1.24 or higher
-- PostgreSQL database
+- PostgreSQL 12 or higher
 - Git
 
-## Installation
+## Getting Started - Local Development Setup
+
+Follow these steps to set up the project on your local machine:
+
+### Step 1: Install Prerequisites
+
+#### Install Go
+- **macOS:** 
+  ```bash
+  brew install go
+  ```
+- **Linux (Ubuntu/Debian):**
+  ```bash
+  sudo apt update
+  sudo apt install golang-go
+  ```
+- **Windows:** Download and install from [golang.org/dl](https://golang.org/dl/)
+
+Verify installation:
+```bash
+go version
+```
+
+#### Install PostgreSQL
+- **macOS:**
+  ```bash
+  brew install postgresql@15
+  brew services start postgresql@15
+  ```
+- **Linux (Ubuntu/Debian):**
+  ```bash
+  sudo apt update
+  sudo apt install postgresql postgresql-contrib
+  sudo systemctl start postgresql
+  sudo systemctl enable postgresql
+  ```
+- **Windows:** Download and install from [postgresql.org/download](https://www.postgresql.org/download/)
+
+Verify installation:
+```bash
+psql --version
+```
+
+### Step 2: Clone the Repository
 
-1. Clone the repository:
 ```bash
 git clone https://github.com/architxkumar/Blogging-Platform-API.git
 cd Blogging-Platform-API
 ```
 
-2. Install dependencies:
+### Step 3: Install Go Dependencies
+
 ```bash
 go mod download
 ```
 
-3. Configure environment variables:
+### Step 4: Set Up PostgreSQL Database
+
+1. **Create a PostgreSQL user (if needed):**
+   ```bash
+   # On macOS/Linux, switch to postgres user
+   sudo -u postgres psql
+   
+   # Or connect directly
+   psql postgres
+   ```
+   
+   Inside PostgreSQL prompt:
+   ```sql
+   CREATE USER your_username WITH PASSWORD 'your_password';
+   ALTER USER your_username CREATEDB;
+   \q
+   ```
+
+2. **Create the database:**
+   ```bash
+   # Connect to PostgreSQL
+   psql -U your_username -d postgres
+   ```
+   
+   Inside PostgreSQL prompt:
+   ```sql
+   CREATE DATABASE blogs;
+   \q
+   ```
+
+3. **Run the schema to create tables:**
+   ```bash
+   psql -U your_username -d blogs -f internal/db/schema.sql
+   ```
+
+4. **(Optional) Load sample data for testing:**
+   ```bash
+   psql -U your_username -d blogs -f internal/db/sample_posts_insert.sql
+   ```
+
+### Step 5: Configure Environment Variables
+
+Create a `.env.development` file in the root directory of the project:
+
+```bash
+# Create the file
+touch .env.development
+```
+
+Add the following configuration (update with your PostgreSQL credentials):
 
-Create or update the `.env.development` file in the root directory:
 ```env
 PGHOST=localhost
 PGPORT=5432
-PGUSER=your_postgres_user
-PGPASSWORD=your_postgres_password
+PGUSER=your_username
+PGPASSWORD=your_password
 PGSSLNEGOTIATION=disable
 PGDATABASE=blogs
 ```
 
-## Database Setup
-
-1. Create the PostgreSQL database:
-```sql
-CREATE DATABASE blogs;
+**Example:**
+```env
+PGHOST=localhost
+PGPORT=5432
+PGUSER=architxkumar
+PGPASSWORD=architxkumar
+PGSSLNEGOTIATION=disable
+PGDATABASE=blogs
 ```
 
-2. Run the schema to create the posts table:
+### Step 6: Run the Application
+
+Start the server:
 ```bash
-psql -U your_postgres_user -d blogs -f internal/db/schema.sql
+go run main.go
 ```
 
-The schema includes:
-- `posts` table with auto-incrementing ID
-- Automatic `created_at` and `updated_at` timestamp management
-- Support for arrays (tags)
+You should see output indicating the server is running. The API will be available at `http://localhost:8080`
 
-3. (Optional) Load sample data:
-```bash
-psql -U your_postgres_user -d blogs -f internal/db/sample_posts_insert.sql
-```
+### Step 7: Test the API
 
-## Running the Application
+Test that the API is working by making a request:
 
-Start the server:
+**Using curl:**
 ```bash
-go run main.go
+# Get all posts
+curl http://localhost:8080/posts
+
+# Create a new post
+curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/posts \
+  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
+  -d '{
+    "title": "My First Blog Post",
+    "content": "This is the content of my first blog post.",
+    "category": "Technology",
+    "tags": ["Tech", "Programming"]
+  }'
 ```
 
-The API will be available at `http://localhost:8080`
+**Using a browser:**
+- Open your browser and navigate to `http://localhost:8080/posts`
+- You should see a JSON response with all blog posts
+
+### Troubleshooting
+
+**Database connection errors:**
+- Verify PostgreSQL is running: `pg_isready`
+- Check your credentials in `.env.development`
+- Ensure the database `blogs` exists: `psql -U your_username -l`
+
+**Port already in use:**
+- The application runs on port 8080 by default
+- Check if another application is using the port: `lsof -i :8080` (macOS/Linux)
+- Kill the process or modify the port in `main.go`
+
+**Go module errors:**
+- Delete `go.sum` and run `go mod download` again
+- Run `go mod tidy` to clean up dependencies
 
 ## API Endpoints