TerpNotes

TerpNotes is a collaborative note-sharing platform designed to help students share and access study materials efficiently. This project was developed as part of the University of Maryland's 2025 Bitcamp Hackathon.

Table of Contents

• About the Project
• Features
• Tech Stack
• Getting Started
  • Prerequisites
  • Installation
• Usage
• Deployment
• Contributing

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About the Project

TerpNotes is a platform that allows students to upload, browse, and share notes for various courses. It aims to foster collaboration and improve academic success by providing a centralized repository for study materials.

This project was built during the University of Maryland's 2025 Bitcamp Hackathon, showcasing teamwork, innovation, and technical expertise.

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Features

• User Authentication: Secure login and registration system.
• Note Sharing: Upload and share notes with peers.
• Search and Browse: Easily find notes by course or topic.
• Responsive Design: Optimized for both desktop and mobile devices.
• Privacy Controls: Users can manage the visibility of their notes.

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Tech Stack

• Frontend: React, Next.js
• Backend: Firebase Firestore, Python, MongoDB
• Deployment: AWS EC2
• CI/CD: GitHub Actions

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Getting Started

Follow these instructions to set up the project locally.

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16 or later)
• npm or yarn
• Git
• An AWS EC2 instance (for deployment)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/MajorH5/TerpNotes.git
   cd TerpNotes

2. Install dependencies:

   cd frontend
   npm install

3. Set up Firebase:

   • Create a Firebase project.
   • Enable Firestore and Authentication.
   • Add your Firebase configuration to frontend/src/lib/firebase-config.js.

4. Start the development server:

   npm run dev

   The app will be available at http://localhost:3000.

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Usage

1. Sign Up: Create an account using your email.
2. Upload Notes: Share your notes by uploading them to the platform.
3. Browse Notes: Search for notes by course or topic.
4. Collaborate: Share links to notes with your peers.

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Deployment

The project is configured for deployment on AWS EC2 using GitHub Actions.

Steps to Deploy

1. Add the following secrets to your GitHub repository:

   • EC2_SSH_PRIVATE_KEY: Your EC2 instance's private SSH key.
   • EC2_USER: The username for your EC2 instance (e.g., ubuntu).
   • EC2_HOST: The public IP address of your EC2 instance.

2. Push changes to the main branch. The GitHub Actions workflow (.github/workflows/deploy.yml) will automatically deploy the latest code to your EC2 instance.

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Follow these steps to contribute:

1. Fork the repository.

2. Create a new branch:

   git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

3. Commit your changes:

   git commit -m "Add your message here"

4. Push to your branch:

   git push origin feature/your-feature-name

5. Open a pull request.