som-to/mern-azure-checkpoint ? reverse-engineered prompt

Build me a simple working MERN app that has a React frontend, a Node and Express backend, and MongoDB for data storage.

I want a clean starter project where I can view a list of items, add a new item, edit it, and delete it, all from the browser. Make the backend connect to the database properly, set up the routes and models, and wire the frontend to call the API so everything works end to end. Keep the UI simple and easy to use, with basic form handling and a nice list view.

If anything is missing, fill it in so the app runs from a single install and start command. Also make sure it is ready to be deployed on Azure, or at least easy to configure for that, and include any needed environment variable setup. Look up current docs online if you need to.