CampusKart 🛒

2. Project Description

CampusKart is an exclusive, safe, and dynamic university-based student marketplace. Designed to solve the issue of expensive textbooks and dorm essentials, the app allows verified students to seamlessly buy, sell, and bid on second-hand campus items locally, bypassing the noise and risks of public marketplaces.

3. Features

• Exclusive Access: JWT authentication paired with university-specific email check (@vcet.edu.in).
• Product Marketplace: View, search, and list products securely with fully integrated Cloud/ImageKit image hosting.
• Real-Time Notifications & Bidding: Buyers can place bids on active products, triggering notifications directly to seller dashboards.
• Integrated Chat System: Secure peer-to-peer messaging system linked to specific items, facilitating safe price negotiations.
• Seller Dashboard: Robust panel for students to manage their active listings, profile information, and track successfully sold items.

4. Tech Stack

Frontend

• Framework: React Native (managed by Expo)
• Navigation: React Navigation (Native Stack & Bottom Tabs)
• State/Requests: Axios, React Hooks, Async Storage
• Media: Expo Image Picker

Backend

• Runtime: Node.js
• Framework: Express.js
• Security: bcrypt (Password Hashing), jsonwebtoken (JWT)
• Storage: ImageKit SDK for Media

Database

• Primary Database: Dual-support for PostgreSQL (pg) and MySQL (mysql2)
• Query Method: Native parameterised SQL queries

Tools / Libraries

• Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (cors)
• Environment management (dotenv)

5. UI / UX Screenshots & Pages

Pages Overview

• Home – The main discovery feed featuring newly listed electronics, books, and campus essentials.
• Login / Signup – Gatekeeping screens handling JWT authentication and university verification.
• Profile / Dashboard – A user hub to track metrics like active listings, items sold, and manage account details.
• Sell Item (Add Product) – Form screen accepting product details, base64 image encoding, and price metadata.
• Listings Screen – Allows sellers to manage their own products (mark as SOLD, delete, or edit).
• Product Detail – Comprehensive display of the product, including seller badge, description, and dynamic bidding UI.
• Chat / Messages – Dedicated inbox rendering ongoing secure negotiations and real-time message sending.

6. Project Structure

project-root
 ┣ backend
 ┃ ┣ config
 ┃ ┣ controllers
 ┃ ┣ middleware
 ┃ ┣ models
 ┃ ┣ routes
 ┃ ┣ utils
 ┃ ┣ initDb.js
 ┃ ┣ server.js
 ┃ ┗ package.json
 ┣ src
 ┃ ┣ components
 ┃ ┣ screens
 ┃ ┣ services
 ┃ ┗ utils
 ┣ scripts
 ┣ assets
 ┣ App.js
 ┣ app.json
 ┣ package.json
 ┗ README.md

7. Installation Guide

Step 1: Clone the repository

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

Step 2: Install dependencies

# Install frontend dependencies
npm install

# Install backend dependencies
cd backend
npm install

Step 3: Setup environment variables
For the backend, copy .env.example into a .env file within the backend/ directory:

cp .env.example .env

Fill out the variables as described in the Environment Variables section.

Step 4: Setup database
Assuming you are running a local MySQL or Postgres server, initialize the tables by strictly running:

node initDb.js

(Optionally populate sample items utilizing node seedData.js)

Step 5: Run backend

npm run dev
# Server runs gracefully at http://localhost:5000 

Step 6: Run frontend
Open a new terminal session in the project root path.

npm start

Use the Expo Go app on iOS/Android or the 'w' key to open in a web browser.

8. Environment Variables

Your backend/.env file requires the following structure:

# Server
PORT=5000

# Database Type: 'mysql' or 'postgres'
DB_TYPE=mysql

# Database Connection
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=3306
DB_USER=root
DB_PASSWORD=your_password_here
DB_NAME=campuskart

# JWT Auth
JWT_SECRET=your_super_secret_jwt_key
JWT_EXPIRES_IN=7d

9. Database Setup

Ensure that your relational SQL server is active.

1. Create a blank database called campuskart:

   CREATE DATABASE campuskart;

2. Verify that the .env credentials match the server.
3. Automatically execute structure schemas from the backend root:

   node initDb.js

10. API Endpoints

Authentication

• POST /api/auth/register – Register account and receive JWT
• POST /api/auth/login – Login to existing account

Products

• GET /api/products – Get all available products
• GET /api/products/:id – Fetch product by ID
• POST /api/products – Add a new student listing
• PUT /api/products/:id – Edit listing definition
• PATCH /api/products/:id/status – Update state (Available -> Sold)
• DELETE /api/products/:id – Remove a product listing

Bidding & Chat

• GET /api/messages/chats – Retrieve active inbox threads
• GET /api/messages/:chatId – Load chat message history
• POST /api/messages – Send message or initiate new chat thread
• POST /api/bids – Submit a direct bid on an active item
• GET /api/bids/:productId – Fetch total bids for a product

11. Future Improvements

• Payment Gateway Integration: Implement secure Stripe/RazorPay escrows to facilitate direct cashless purchases instead of solely cash-on-meet.
• Real-Time Websockets: Transition chat from HTTP polling to a true real-time Socket.io bi-directional connection.
• Advanced Filtering/Search: Implement elastic search for complex queries across descriptions, price bounds, and condition states.
• Admin Panel: Separate dashboard for campus moderators to manage bad actors or reported products.

12. Contributing

Contributions are warmly welcomed!

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create your Feature Branch (git checkout -b feature/NewMarketplaceTool).
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add NewMarketplaceTool').
4. Push to the Branch (git push origin feature/NewMarketplaceTool).
5. Open a logical Pull Request pointing to main.

13. License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.