StayFinder - Full Stack Property Reservation Platform

StayFinder is an independently developed full-stack web application inspired by modern accommodation booking platforms. It enables users to browse available stays, create and manage property listings, submit bookings, and track reservation requests through a responsive and secure web interface.

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Live Deployment

Website: https://stayfinder-n48x.onrender.com/

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Tech Stack

Frontend

• React.js
• Tailwind CSS
• JavaScript
• Vite

Backend

• Node.js
• Express.js

Database

• MongoDB with Mongoose

Authentication

• JWT Authentication
• HTTP-only Cookies
• Protected Routes

Cloud Storage

• Cloudinary Image Uploads

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Project Modules

User Authentication

• User registration and login
• Secure JWT-based session management
• Logout functionality
• Route protection for authenticated users

Property Listing Management

• Create new listings
• Upload listing images
• View all listed properties
• Edit/Delete owned listings

Search and Browse

• Search bar for filtering available properties
• Responsive listing display
• Property detail view

Booking and Reservation Management

• Book properties using date range selection
• Submit reservation requests
• Track booking history and requests

Media Handling

• Cloudinary integration for storing and serving uploaded listing images

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Key Features

• End-to-end full-stack web application prototype
• Responsive front-end user interface
• Backend CRUD operations for listings and bookings
• JWT-secured authentication workflows
• MongoDB-based data storage
• REST API communication between frontend and backend
• Cloud-based image upload support

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Repository Structure

StayFinder/
│
├── Backend/
│   ├── config/
│   ├── controllers/
│   ├── middleware/
│   ├── model/
│   ├── public/uploads/
│   ├── routes/
│   ├── index.js
│   └── seed.js
│
├── Frontend/
│   ├── src/
│   ├── index.html
│   └── vite.config.js
│
└── README.md

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Installation and Setup

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/Akankshasingh1005/StayFinder.git
cd StayFinder

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Backend Setup

cd Backend
npm install
npm start

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Frontend Setup

cd Frontend
npm install
npm run dev

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Environment Variables Required

Create a .env file inside the Backend folder and configure:

MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_connection
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloud_name
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your_api_key
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your_api_secret

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Learning Outcomes

This project provided hands-on experience in:

• end-to-end prototype development,
• responsive front-end implementation,
• backend CRUD module development,
• JWT authentication workflows,
• REST API integration,
• MongoDB data handling,
• and Cloudinary media management.

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Author

Akanksha Singh B.Tech, IIT Jodhpur GitHub: https://github.com/Akankshasingh1005