NoteShareX

Academic Notes Sharing Platform

NoteShareX is a web application designed to help students share and discover academic notes across various courses and subjects.

NoteShare URL

The application is deployed at https://notesharex-production.up.railway.app/

Author

• Daiki Koike

Class Link

CS5610 - Web Development Spring 2025

Project Objective

The objective of NoteShareX is to create a collaborative platform where students can share, discover, and upvote academic notes. The platform aims to improve study efficiency by centralizing high-quality study materials and fostering a community of knowledge sharing.

Screenshots

Home screen of the application

Browse notes page showing various academic notes

Detailed view of a specific note with content and actions

User profile page displaying user information and contributions

Features

• User authentication system (register, login, logout)
• Create, read, update, and delete notes
• Browse notes by course and search by keywords
• Upvote system to highlight quality content
• Save favorite notes for quick access
• User profiles with activity tracking
• Responsive design for desktop and mobile

Technologies Used

• Frontend: React 18.2.0, React Router 6.22.3, CSS
• Backend: Node.js, Express 4.21.2
• Database: MongoDB 6.14.2 (native driver)
• Authentication: JWT 9.0.2, HTTP-only cookies
• Tools: Vite 5.1.4, ESLint 8.57.0, Prettier
• AI Assistance: Claude Sonnet 3.7 (for documentation and code review)

Instructions to Build

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16+)
• MongoDB (v6+)
• Git

Installation Steps

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/notesharex.git
   cd notesharex
   

2. Install dependencies for both frontend and backend

   npm install
   

3. Set up environment variables

   • Create a .env file in the server directory based on the .env.example template
   • Update the MongoDB connection string and JWT secret

4. Seed the database with sample data

   npm run seed
   

5. Start the development server

   npm run dev
   

   This will run both frontend and backend servers concurrently

6. Build for production

   npm run build
   

7. Access the application

   • Development: http://localhost:5173
   • Backend API: http://localhost:5001/api

Testing

Test credentials:

• Username: admin
• Password: admin123

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details. The MIT License is a permissive license that allows for reuse with few restrictions. It permits users to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the software while providing attribution back to the original author.