🏡 StayNest

StayNest is a full-stack MERN-based travel accommodation platform that allows users to discover, create, and manage short-term stay listings. Inspired by modern vacation rental platforms, StayNest provides a secure and user-friendly experience with authentication, reviews, image uploads, geolocation, and cloud deployment.

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🚀 Features

User Authentication & Authorization

• User registration and login
• Secure password hashing using Passport.js
• Session-based authentication
• Authorization for listings and reviews
• Protected routes for authenticated users

Listing Management

• Create, edit, and delete stay listings
• Upload listing images
• View detailed accommodation information
• Listing ownership management

Reviews & Ratings

• Add reviews and ratings for listings
• Delete reviews
• Review ownership verification
• Validation for review submissions

Search & Discovery

• Search accommodations
• Filter listings
• Responsive browsing experience

Maps & Geolocation

• Geocoding support
• Store listing coordinates
• Interactive map markers for locations

Error Handling & Validation

• Server-side validation using Joi
• Custom error handling middleware
• Flash messages for user feedback
• Secure session management

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🛠️ Tech Stack

Frontend

• React.js
• Bootstrap / Tailwind CSS
• EJS Templates

Backend

• Node.js
• Express.js

Database

• MongoDB
• Mongoose

Authentication

• Passport.js
• Express Session
• Cookies

Cloud Services

• Cloudinary (Image Storage)
• MongoDB Atlas (Database Hosting)

Deployment

• Render

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📂 Project Structure

StayNest/
│
├── controllers/
├── models/
├── routes/
├── views/
├── public/
├── middleware/
├── utils/
├── cloudConfig/
├── app.js
├── schema.js
└── package.json

⚙️ Installation & Setup

Clone Repository

git clone https://github.com/RamanKumar-Dev/StayNest.git
cd StayNest

Install Dependencies

npm install

Create Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the root directory:

ATLASDB_URL=your_mongodb_connection_string

CLOUD_NAME=your_cloudinary_cloud_name
CLOUD_API_KEY=your_cloudinary_api_key
CLOUD_API_SECRET=your_cloudinary_api_secret

SECRET=your_session_secret

Run the Application

npm start

or

nodemon app.js

Application will run on:

http://localhost:8080

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🔒 Security Features

• Password hashing and authentication
• Session-based login management
• Authorization checks
• Protected routes
• Server-side validation
• Custom error handling

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🌟 Future Enhancements

• Booking and reservation system
• Payment gateway integration
• Wishlist functionality
• User profile management
• Advanced search filters
• Real-time notifications

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📚 Learning Outcomes

Through this project, I gained hands-on experience with:

• Full-Stack MERN Development
• RESTful API Design
• Authentication & Authorization
• MVC Architecture
• MongoDB Data Modeling
• Cloudinary Integration
• Geolocation Services
• Error Handling & Validation
• Deployment & Production Configuration

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👨‍💻 Author

Raman Kumar

GitHub: https://github.com/RamanKumar-Dev

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/ramankumar115

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📄 License

This project is developed for educational and portfolio purposes.