docs: comprehensive developer environment documentation for self-service onboarding

[JemimahEkong]

Problem

New developers struggle with project setup due to missing and unclear documentation. Onboarding currently requires external guidance, which increases setup time and creates unnecessary dependency on existing team members.

Solution

This PR introduces a complete overhaul of developer environment documentation and onboarding tooling, making the setup process fully self-service.

A new developer can now set up and verify the entire project in 15–30 minutes without external assistance.

Changes

New Files

File	Purpose
docker-compose.yml	Root-level development environment setup. Enables full stack startup (Postgres, Redis, App) via docker compose up.
docs/setup.md	Step-by-step onboarding guide covering prerequisites, environment configuration, database setup, Redis, and local server startup.
docs/troubleshooting.md	Comprehensive troubleshooting guide covering 7 common issue categories with causes, fixes, and example commands.
docs/runbook.md	Developer runbook with command-driven workflows for common operational tasks and scenarios.
scripts/verify-setup.js	Automated setup verification script (pnpm verify) that validates Node version, environment configuration, database, Redis, and health endpoint.

Modified Files

File	Changes
README.md	Added quick start section, prerequisites table, onboarding documentation links, video tutorial placeholder, and updated setup instructions. Migrated commands to pnpm.
docs/migrations.md	Fully rewritten to reflect TypeORM migration flow. Added guidance on migrations vs synchronization, seed data setup, and common failure scenarios.
package.json	Added pnpm verify script for automated environment validation.

Onboarding Flow

New developer setup flow:

git clone <repo>
pnpm install
cp .env.example .env
docker compose up -d postgres redis
pnpm start:dev

closes #521
Drips Wave 6

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[RUKAYAT-CODER]

Great job so far

There are just two blockers — the workflow is failing and a merge conflict. Could you take a look and fix it so all checks pass?

Happy to review again once that’s done.

[JemimahEkong]

Sure, I'll work on it

…

On Thu, Jul 2, 2026, 10:57 AM Rukayat Zakariyau ***@***.***> wrote: *RUKAYAT-CODER* left a comment (rinafcode/teachLink_backend#935) <#935 (comment)> Great job so far There are just two blockers — the workflow is failing and a merge conflict. Could you take a look and fix it so all checks pass? Happy to review again once that’s done. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#935?email_source=notifications&email_token=BLUYM7WUU7VBVEDH4T4CXY35CYWX7A5CNFSNUABFM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2JONZXKZKDN5WW2ZLOOQXTIOBWGQ2DMNBUGQYKM4TFMFZW63VHNVSW45DJN5XKKZLWMVXHJLDGN5XXIZLSL5RWY2LDNM#issuecomment-4864464440>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/BLUYM7WXGK4IQLXXO4YNCGD5CYWX7AVCNFSNUABFKJSXA33TNF2G64TZHM4TKOJXG4ZTCMBSHNEXG43VMU5TINZWG44DSNZVHAY2C5QC> . Triage notifications, keep track of coding agent tasks and review pull requests on the go with GitHub Mobile for iOS <https://github.com/notifications/mobile/ios/BLUYM7TKI2ECM4TV65D6I635CYWX7A5CNFSNUABFM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2JONZXKZKDN5WW2ZLOOQXTIOBWGQ2DMNBUGQYKM4TFMFZW63VHNVSW45DJN5XKKZLWMVXHJKTGN5XXIZLSL5UW64Y> and Android <https://github.com/notifications/mobile/android/BLUYM7RTXZCX354ML3F64MT5CYWX7A5CNFSNUABFM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2JONZXKZKDN5WW2ZLOOQXTIOBWGQ2DMNBUGQYKM4TFMFZW63VHNVSW45DJN5XKKZLWMVXHJLTGN5XXIZLSL5QW4ZDSN5UWI>. Download it today! You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[RUKAYAT-CODER]

Thank you for contributing to the project.