diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 1c371b45..04ffc163 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
   "name": "project-happy-thoughts-api",
   "version": "1.0.0",
   "description": "Starter project to get up and running with express quickly",
+  "main": "server.js",
   "scripts": {
     "start": "babel-node server.js",
     "dev": "nodemon server.js --exec babel-node"
@@ -11,10 +12,14 @@
   "dependencies": {
     "@babel/core": "^7.17.9",
     "@babel/node": "^7.16.8",
-    "@babel/preset-env": "^7.16.11",
     "cors": "^2.8.5",
+    "dotenv": "^16.4.7",
     "express": "^4.17.3",
     "mongoose": "^8.0.0",
     "nodemon": "^3.0.1"
-  }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+  },
+  "devDependencies": {
+    "@babel/preset-env": "^7.26.0"
+  },
+  "type": "module"
+}
diff --git a/server.js b/server.js
index dfe86fb8..a1158d2b 100644
--- a/server.js
+++ b/server.js
@@ -1,27 +1,117 @@
-import cors from "cors";
 import express from "express";
+import cors from "cors";
 import mongoose from "mongoose";
+import dotenv from "dotenv";
 
-const mongoUrl = process.env.MONGO_URL || "mongodb://localhost/project-mongo";
-mongoose.connect(mongoUrl);
-mongoose.Promise = Promise;
+dotenv.config();
 
-// Defines the port the app will run on. Defaults to 8080, but can be overridden
-// when starting the server. Example command to overwrite PORT env variable value:
-// PORT=9000 npm start
-const port = process.env.PORT || 8080;
+const port = process.env.PORT || 8081;
 const app = express();
 
-// Add middlewares to enable cors and json body parsing
+// Middleware
 app.use(cors());
 app.use(express.json());
 
-// Start defining your routes here
+// Mongoose connection
+const mongoUrl = process.env.MONGO_URL || "mongodb://127.0.0.1:27017/happyThoughts";
+mongoose.connect(mongoUrl, {
+  useNewUrlParser: true,
+  useUnifiedTopology: true,
+});
+mongoose.Promise = Promise;
+
+mongoose.connection.on("connected", () => {
+  console.log(`Connected to MongoDB at ${mongoUrl}`);
+});
+
+mongoose.connection.on("error", (error) => {
+  console.error("Error connecting to MongoDB:", error);
+});
+
+// Mongoose schema and model
+const thoughtSchema = new mongoose.Schema({
+  message: {
+    type: String,
+    required: true,
+    minlength: 5,
+    maxlength: 140,
+  },
+  hearts: {
+    type: Number,
+    default: 0,
+  },
+  createdAt: {
+    type: Date,
+    default: Date.now,
+  },
+});
+
+const Thought = mongoose.model("Thought", thoughtSchema);
+
+// Root endpoint
 app.get("/", (req, res) => {
-  res.send("Hello Technigo!");
+  res.send("Welcome to the Happy Thoughts API!");
+});
+
+// Get thoughts (max 20, sorted by createdAt descending)
+app.get("/thoughts", async (req, res) => {
+  try {
+    const thoughts = await Thought.find().sort({ createdAt: -1 }).limit(20);
+    res.json(thoughts);
+  } catch (error) {
+    res.status(500).json({
+      success: false,
+      message: "Could not fetch thoughts.",
+      error: error.message,
+    });
+  }
+});
+
+// Post a new thought
+app.post("/thoughts", async (req, res) => {
+  const { message } = req.body;
+
+  try {
+    const thought = await new Thought({ message }).save();
+    res.status(201).json(thought);
+  } catch (error) {
+    res.status(400).json({
+      success: false,
+      message: "Could not create thought. Please check the input.",
+      error: error.message,
+    });
+  }
+});
+
+// Add a like to a thought
+app.post("/thoughts/:thoughtId/like", async (req, res) => {
+  const { thoughtId } = req.params;
+
+  try {
+    const updatedThought = await Thought.findByIdAndUpdate(
+      thoughtId,
+      { $inc: { hearts: 1 } },
+      { new: true } // Return the updated document
+    );
+
+    if (!updatedThought) {
+      return res.status(404).json({
+        success: false,
+        message: "Thought not found.",
+      });
+    }
+
+    res.status(200).json(updatedThought);
+  } catch (error) {
+    res.status(400).json({
+      success: false,
+      message: "Could not add like.",
+      error: error.message,
+    });
+  }
 });
 
-// Start the server
+// Start server
 app.listen(port, () => {
   console.log(`Server running on http://localhost:${port}`);
 });