StackOverFlowClone

A Stack Overflow clone built with React and Node.js, utilizing MongoDB for the database. This project aims to replicate the core functionalities of Stack Overflow, allowing users to ask questions, provide answers, and upvote or downvote both questions and answers.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Installation
• Usage
• Contributing
• License

Features

• User Authentication: Users can sign up, log in, and log out securely. Authentication is implemented using JWT (JSON Web Tokens).
• Ask Questions: Authenticated users can post questions on various topics.
• Answer Questions: Users can answer questions posted by others.
• Upvote and Downvote: Users can upvote or downvote both questions and answers.
• Search Functionality: Search for questions based on keywords or topics.
• Tagging System: Questions can be tagged with relevant topics for better organization and searchability.
• Markdown Support: Both questions and answers support Markdown formatting for rich text editing.
• Responsive Design: The application is designed to be responsive, providing a seamless experience across devices.

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/fab-c14/StackOverFlowClone.git

2. Navigate to the project directory:

   cd StackOverFlowClone

3. Install dependencies for both the client and server:

   # Install server dependencies
   cd server
   npm install
   
   # Install client dependencies
   cd ../client
   npm install

4. Set up the MongoDB database:

   • Install MongoDB if not already installed.
   • Create a new MongoDB database and obtain the connection URI.
   • Create a .env file in the server directory and add the following:

   MONGODB_URI=your_mongodb_connection_uri
   JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
   

5. Run the development server:

   # From the server directory
   npm start
   
   # From the client directory
   npm start

6. Access the application in your browser at http://localhost:3000.

Usage

• Register for a new account or log in with existing credentials.
• Ask questions by clicking on the "Ask a Question" button.
• Answer questions by navigating to the question page and providing your answer in the provided input field.
• Upvote or downvote questions and answers by clicking on the respective arrows.
• Search for questions using the search bar at the top of the page.
• Tag questions with relevant topics to help organize and search for content efficiently.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you have any suggestions, feature requests, or bug reports, please open an issue or submit a pull request. Make sure to follow the code of conduct.

License

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