query

[shuklapranav94-sketch]

Hi maintainers,

I'm trying to understand the architecture of Coderush before making my first contribution.

Could someone explain:

• The overall project structure
• The purpose of each major folder
• The application flow
• Which modules are easiest for first-time contributors

Any documentation or diagrams would also be very helpful.

Thank you!

[Aayush-coder32]

Hi, thanks for your interest in contributing to Coderush!

Coderush is a full-stack Smart Campus OS built with React, Node.js, Express, MongoDB, and Socket.io.

Overall project structure

• frontend/ – React-based user interface
• backend/ – Express API, database models, authentication, and business logic
• docs/ – API, Docker, security, and supporting documentation
• scripts/ – Deployment and automation scripts
• .github/workflows/ – GitHub Actions workflows
• docker-compose.yml – Runs the frontend, backend, and MongoDB using Docker

Frontend structure

Inside frontend/src/:

• pages/ contains route-level pages for students, faculty, admins, authentication, and public screens.
• components/ contains reusable UI components such as layouts, cards, QR scanners, chat, and galleries.
• context/ manages global authentication and theme state.
• hooks/ contains reusable React hooks, including Socket.io-related logic.
• lib/ contains API client helpers and frontend data-access logic.

Backend structure

Inside backend/src/:

• app.js initializes the Express application and mounts middleware and routes.
• config/ contains MongoDB, Cloudinary, and environment configuration.
• controllers/ handles request and response business logic.
• models/ contains Mongoose schemas.
• routes/ defines REST API endpoints.
• services/ handles integrations such as email, OpenAI, and notifications.
• sockets/ manages real-time Socket.io communication.
• utils/ contains shared helpers for QR codes, validation, uploads, logging, and geolocation.
• scripts/ contains seed scripts for demo data.

Application flow

1. A user interacts with the React frontend.
2. Axios sends requests to the Express backend.
3. Routes forward requests to controllers.
4. Controllers validate the request and interact with MongoDB models.
5. The backend returns a response to the frontend.
6. Socket.io is used for real-time notifications and chat-related events.

Beginner-friendly areas

First-time contributors can start with:

• README or documentation improvements
• UI text and styling fixes
• Reusable frontend components
• Form validation improvements
• Small accessibility fixes
• Adding loading or empty states
• Issues labeled good first issue

For larger modules such as authentication, payments, attendance, or AI integrations, it is better to open an issue or discussion before starting.

The README also contains setup instructions, a workflow animation, project structure, and API documentation references.

Thanks again for your interest in contributing!