SkillXChange Platform

A modern skill exchange platform that connects users based on complementary skills. Users can list skills they have and skills they want to learn, find matching connections, engage in real-time chat, schedule video meetings, and manage subscriptions.

🚀 Features

Core Functionality

• Skill Matching: Intelligent algorithm to match users based on complementary skills
• Real-time Chat: Instant messaging with Socket.IO for seamless communication
• Video Meetings: Integrated WebRTC-based video conferencing for skill exchange sessions
• User Authentication: Secure JWT-based authentication with email verification
• Connection Management: Send, accept, and manage connection requests
• Subscription Plans: Multiple subscription tiers with payment integration
• User Reporting: Reporting system for moderation and safety

Technical Features

• Real-time Updates: WebSocket-based real-time notifications and messaging
• File Uploads: Cloudinary integration for media storage and CDN delivery
• Rate Limiting: Multi-tier rate limiting for API protection
• Security: Helmet security headers, CORS protection, input validation
• Logging: Structured logging with Winston
• Error Handling: Comprehensive error handling and validation

🛠️ Tech Stack

Frontend

• React 19 - UI framework
• Material-UI (MUI) - Component library
• Axios - HTTP client
• Socket.IO Client - Real-time communication
• React Router - Client-side routing
• Vite - Build tool

Backend

• Node.js - Runtime environment
• Express.js - Web framework
• MongoDB Atlas - Cloud database
• Mongoose - ODM for MongoDB
• Socket.IO - Real-time WebSocket server
• JWT - Authentication
• Winston - Logging
• Express-validator - Input validation
• Helmet - Security headers
• Express-rate-limit - Rate limiting

External Services

• Cloudinary - Media storage and CDN
• Brevo (Sendinblue) - Email service
• MongoDB Atlas - Database hosting

📋 Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

• Node.js (v18 or higher)
• npm (v9 or higher) or yarn
• MongoDB Atlas account (or local MongoDB instance)
• Cloudinary account
• Brevo account (for email service)

🔧 Installation

1. Clone the Repository

git clone <repository-url>
cd IT-643

2. Install Backend Dependencies

cd backend
npm install

3. Install Frontend Dependencies

cd ../frontend
npm install

⚙️ Environment Variables

Backend Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the backend directory:

# Server Configuration
PORT=5000
NODE_ENV=development
FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:5173

# Database
MONGODB_URI=your_mongodb_atlas_connection_string

# JWT Authentication
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_key
JWT_EXPIRES_IN=7d

# Email Service (Brevo)
BREVO_API_KEY=your_brevo_api_key
EMAIL_FROM=[email protected]

# Cloudinary
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloudinary_cloud_name
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your_cloudinary_api_key
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your_cloudinary_api_secret

# Razorpay (for payments)
RAZORPAY_KEY_ID=your_razorpay_key_id
RAZORPAY_KEY_SECRET=your_razorpay_key_secret

# Logging
LOG_LEVEL=debug

Frontend Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the frontend directory:

VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:5000

🚀 Running the Application

Development Mode

Start Backend Server

cd backend
npm run dev

The backend server will start on http://localhost:5000

Start Frontend Development Server

cd frontend
npm run dev

The frontend will start on http://localhost:5173

Production Mode

Build Frontend

cd frontend
npm run build

Start Backend

cd backend
npm start

📁 Project Structure

IT-643/
├── backend/
│   ├── config/           # Configuration files
│   │   ├── cloudinary.js
│   │   ├── cors.js
│   │   ├── db.js
│   │   ├── emailConfig.js
│   │   ├── helmet.js
│   │   └── razorpay.js
│   ├── controllers/      # Route controllers
│   │   ├── authController.js
│   │   ├── chatController.js
│   │   ├── connectioncontroller.js
│   │   ├── meetingController.js
│   │   ├── messageController.js
│   │   ├── reportController.js
│   │   ├── subscriptioncontroller.js
│   │   └── userController.js
│   ├── middleware/       # Custom middleware
│   │   ├── authMiddleware.js
│   │   ├── checkBanned.js
│   │   ├── errorhandler.js
│   │   ├── rateLimiter.js
│   │   └── upload.js
│   ├── models/           # Mongoose models
│   │   ├── ConnectionRequest.js
│   │   ├── Meeting.js
│   │   ├── Message.js
│   │   ├── Report.js
│   │   ├── Subscription.js
│   │   └── User.js
│   ├── routes/           # API routes
│   │   ├── auth.js
│   │   ├── chat.js
│   │   ├── connect.js
│   │   ├── meeting.js
│   │   ├── messages.js
│   │   ├── report.js
│   │   ├── subscription.js
│   │   └── user.js
│   ├── services/         # Business logic
│   │   ├── authService.js
│   │   ├── connection.js
│   │   ├── messageService.js
│   │   ├── realtime.js
│   │   ├── reportService.js
│   │   ├── Subscription.js
│   │   └── userService.js
│   ├── templates/        # Email templates
│   │   └── emailStrategies.js
│   ├── test/             # Test files
│   ├── utils/            # Utility functions
│   │   ├── logger.js
│   │   ├── sendEmail.js
│   │   ├── Subscriptioncron.js
│   │   ├── validateEnv.js
│   │   └── validators.js
│   ├── app.js            # Express app configuration
│   ├── server.js         # Server entry point
│   └── socket.js         # Socket.IO configuration
│
├── frontend/
│   ├── public/           # Static assets
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── components/   # Reusable components
│   │   │   ├── ChatArea.jsx
│   │   │   ├── MessageBubble.jsx
│   │   │   ├── Navbar.jsx
│   │   │   ├── UserList.jsx
│   │   │   └── ...
│   │   ├── context/      # React contexts
│   │   │   └── NotificationContext.jsx
│   │   ├── hooks/        # Custom hooks
│   │   │   └── useAuth.js
│   │   ├── pages/        # Page components
│   │   │   ├── Chat/
│   │   │   ├── Dashboard/
│   │   │   ├── login/
│   │   │   ├── Meet/
│   │   │   └── ...
│   │   ├── services/     # API services
│   │   │   └── socket.js
│   │   ├── theme/        # MUI theme
│   │   │   └── theme.js
│   │   ├── utils/        # Utility functions
│   │   │   └── api.js
│   │   ├── App.jsx       # Main app component
│   │   └── main.jsx      # Entry point
│   ├── index.html
│   └── vite.config.js
│
├── docs/                 # Documentation
│   ├── skillxchange_class_diagram.pdf
│   └── Updated_design_document.pdf
│
├── design.md             # Design documentation
└── README.md             # This file

🔌 API Endpoints

Authentication

• POST /api/auth/register - Register new user
• POST /api/auth/login - User login
• POST /api/auth/verify - Verify email

User

• GET /api/user/profile - Get user profile
• PUT /api/user/profile - Update user profile
• GET /api/user/:id - Get user by ID

Connections

• GET /api/connect/suggestions - Get connection suggestions
• POST /api/connect/request - Send connection request
• PUT /api/connect/accept/:id - Accept connection request
• DELETE /api/connect/reject/:id - Reject connection request

Messages

• GET /api/messages/:conversationId - Get messages for conversation
• POST /api/messages - Send message
• DELETE /api/messages/:id - Delete message

Chat

• GET /api/chat/connections - Get chat connections
• GET /api/chat/conversations - Get user conversations

Meetings

• POST /api/meetings - Create meeting
• GET /api/meetings/:id - Get meeting details
• DELETE /api/meetings/:id - Delete meeting

Subscriptions

• GET /api/subscription/plans - Get subscription plans
• POST /api/subscription/subscribe - Subscribe to plan
• GET /api/subscription/status - Get subscription status

Reports

• POST /api/report - Report user

Health Check

• GET /api/health - Health check endpoint

🧪 Testing

Backend Tests

cd backend
npm test

Running Specific Tests

npm test -- auth.integration.test.js

🔒 Security Features

• Rate Limiting: Multi-tier rate limiting (API, Auth, Upload)
• Security Headers: Helmet middleware for security headers
• CORS Protection: Environment-specific CORS configuration
• Input Validation: Express-validator with custom strategies
• JWT Authentication: Secure token-based authentication
• Password Hashing: bcrypt for password hashing
• HTTP-only Cookies: Secure cookie storage for tokens

📝 Logging

The application uses Winston for structured logging:

• Development: Console logging with colors
• Production: JSON format for log aggregation
• Log Files: Stored in backend/logs/
  • combined.log - All logs
  • error.log - Error logs only

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Backend won't start

• Check if MongoDB connection string is correct
• Verify all environment variables are set
• Check if port 5000 is available

Frontend can't connect to backend

• Verify VITE_API_URL in frontend .env matches backend URL
• Check CORS configuration in backend
• Ensure backend server is running

Socket.IO connection fails

• Check if Socket.IO server is initialized
• Verify JWT token is valid
• Check browser console for connection errors

Email not sending

• Verify Brevo API key is correct
• Check if sender email is verified in Brevo
• Review email service logs

📚 Documentation

• Design Document: See design.md for detailed architecture and design decisions
• Frontend Improvements: See frontend/DESIGN_IMPROVEMENTS.md

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the ISC License.

👥 Authors

• SkillXChange Development Team

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Material-UI for the component library
• Socket.IO for real-time communication
• MongoDB Atlas for database hosting
• Cloudinary for media storage
• Brevo for email services

📞 Support

For support, email [email protected] or open an issue in the repository.

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Made with ❤️ by the SkillXChange Team