📚 BookMart - E-Commerce Platform

BookMart is a full-stack, multi-role e-commerce web application designed as a marketplace specifically tailored for buying and selling books. It features role-based access control, secure authentication, and separate interfaces for buyers, sellers, and administrators.

🚀 Key Features

• Multi-Role System: Distinct dashboards and functionalities for Buyers, Sellers, and Admins.
• Secure Authentication: User registration and login utilizing JWT (JSON Web Tokens) and secure password hashing with bcryptjs.
• Book Catalog: Comprehensive browsing and searching capabilities for listed books.
• Shopping Cart: Persistent, easy-to-use cart management for buyers preparing to checkout.
• Inventory Management: Sellers can post, edit, and remove their own book listings.
• Admin Dashboard: Platform moderators can view total platform statistics and manage user access (e.g., elevate normal users to administrators).

🛠️ Technology Stack

This application is built using the MERN stack:

Frontend

• React.js (v18) - Component-based user interface.
• Vite - High-performance build tool and dev server.
• React Router (v6) - Client-side page navigation.
• React Context API - Global state management for sessions and shopping carts.
• Vanilla CSS - Custom styling system.

Backend

• Node.js & Express.js (v5) - RESTful API server.
• MongoDB & Mongoose (v9) - NoSQL database and Object Data Modeling.
• Security: jsonwebtoken (JWT), bcryptjs, and CORS.

📂 Project Structure

AWT_PROJECT/
├── backend/                  # Node.js + Express backend server
│   ├── models/               # Mongoose database schemas
│   ├── routes/               # API route definitions (auth, products, cart, admin)
│   ├── middleware/           # Custom Express middleware (e.g., auth verification)
│   ├── server.js             # Main backend application entry point
│   ├── makeAdmin.js          # Utility script for admin role assignment
│   └── package.json          # Backend dependencies
└── frontend/                 # React frontend application
    ├── src/                  
    │   ├── components/       # Reusable React components
    │   ├── context/          # State management context providers
    │   ├── pages/            # Page components (Home, Login, admin/, buyer/, seller/)
    │   ├── App.jsx           # Main generic layout and routing
    │   ├── main.jsx          # React DOM mounting
    │   └── index.css         # Global stylesheets
    ├── vite.config.js        # Vite configuration
    └── package.json          # Frontend dependencies

🏁 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js installed on your local machine.
• MongoDB installed locally or a MongoDB Atlas connection string.

1. Backend Setup

1. Navigate to the backend directory:

   cd backend

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Set up environment variables:
   • Ensure there is a .env file in the backend directory containing your MongoDB connection string and JWT Secret:

     MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
     JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_key
     PORT=5000

4. Start the development server (uses nodemon):

   npm start

2. Frontend Setup

1. Open a new terminal and navigate to the frontend directory:

   cd frontend

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Start the Vite development server:

   npm run dev

4. The application should now be accessible in your web browser (usually at http://localhost:5173).

🔑 Administrative Access

To convert a standard user into an administrator for testing the Admin Dashboard:

1. Ensure the user has registered their account normally.
2. You can use the dedicated script in the backend directory (check backend/makeAdmin.js for execution instructions) or modify the user's role directly within your MongoDB client.