varsha-works/mern-backend ? reverse-engineered prompt

Build me a simple backend for a React app using Node, Express, and MongoDB.

I want a clean starter server that connects to the database with env variables, has a basic health check route, and a few example API routes for common CRUD actions so I can plug in real features later. Please keep the code easy to read, organize it sensibly, and make sure it starts cleanly without extra setup confusion. If you need current package or library docs, feel free to look them up online.

Also add a good default error handler, a simple middleware setup, and a short note in the project about how to run it locally and what to put in the env file. If there’s any obvious improvement to make this feel like a proper MERN backend starter, go ahead and include it.