🚗 CarConnect

A full-stack platform connecting car owners with mechanics — featuring real-time fault detection, OBD2 integration via ESP32, appointment scheduling, and live notifications.

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📋 Table of Contents

• About
• Features
• System Architecture
• Tech Stack
• Project Structure
• Getting Started
• Arduino / ESP32 Setup
• Deployment
• API Endpoints

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About

CarConnect solves the communication gap between car owners and mechanics. Instead of calling garages or showing up without information, the app allows:

• Clients to report faults (manually or automatically via OBD2), view real-time vehicle data, and book appointments
• Mechanics to receive fault reports, respond with price estimates, manage their schedule, and track repair history

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Features

Client Side

• 🔐 Register / Login with role-based access
• 📊 Dashboard with fault stats and quick actions
• 🚨 Report faults manually or receive automatic alerts from ESP32
• 📡 View real-time vehicle data (engine temp, RPM, battery voltage, DTC codes)
• 📅 Book appointments from mechanic's available slots
• 📜 View full fault and repair history

Mechanic Side

• 🔧 Dashboard with incoming fault requests
• ✅ Accept faults and update status (Pending → In Progress → Resolved)
• 💰 Send price estimates and repair time
• 📅 Manage available appointment slots
• 🔔 Real-time notifications via Socket.io

Hardware (ESP32 + OBD2)

• 📟 Reads live vehicle data via ELM327 Bluetooth adapter
• 📤 Sends data to server every 10 seconds over WiFi
• ⚠️ Auto-creates fault reports when DTC error codes are detected

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System Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                        CLIENT                           │
│              React App (localhost:3000)                 │
└────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────┘
                         │ REST API / Socket.io
┌────────────────────────▼────────────────────────────────┐
│                       BACKEND                           │
│           Node.js + Express (localhost:5000)            │
│                    JWT Auth                             │
└──────────┬──────────────────────────┬───────────────────┘
           │                          │
┌──────────▼──────────┐   ┌───────────▼───────────────────┐
│      MongoDB        │   │        ESP32 + ELM327          │
│  (localhost:27017)  │   │   Reads OBD2 → Sends via WiFi  │
└─────────────────────┘   └───────────────────────────────┘

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Tech Stack

Layer	Technology
Frontend	React 18, React Router v6, Material UI, Chart.js, Axios
Backend	Node.js, Express.js, Socket.io, JWT
Database	MongoDB, Mongoose
Hardware	ESP32, ELM327 Bluetooth OBD2, Arduino IDE
DevOps	Docker, GitHub Actions CI/CD, Oracle Cloud, Duck DNS, Nginx, Let's Encrypt

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Project Structure

CarConnect/
├── frontend/                   # React Application
│   └── src/
│       ├── App.jsx             # Main router
│       ├── context/
│       │   └── AuthContext.jsx # Global auth state
│       ├── services/
│       │   └── api.jsx         # Axios instance + interceptors
│       ├── components/
│       │   └── shared/
│       │       └── Navbar.jsx
│       └── pages/
│           ├── LoginPage.jsx
│           ├── RegisterPage.jsx
│           ├── ClientDashboard.jsx
│           ├── MechanicDashboard.jsx
│           ├── FaultReportPage.jsx
│           ├── VehicleDataPage.jsx
│           ├── AppointmentsPage.jsx
│           └── FaultHistoryPage.jsx
│
├── backend/                    # Node.js API
│   ├── server.js               # Entry point + Socket.io
│   ├── config/
│   │   └── db.js               # MongoDB connection
│   ├── models/
│   │   ├── User.js
│   │   ├── FaultReport.js
│   │   ├── Appointment.js
│   │   └── SensorData.js
│   ├── routes/
│   │   ├── auth.js
│   │   ├── faults.js
│   │   ├── appointments.js
│   │   └── sensorData.js
│   └── middleware/
│       └── auth.js             # JWT middleware
│
├── arduino/                    # ESP32 Code
│   ├── CarConnect_ESP32.ino    # Main file
│   ├── config.h                # WiFi + server settings
│   ├── wifi_manager.h/cpp      # WiFi connection
│   ├── obd2_reader.h/cpp       # OBD2 data reading
│   └── server_sender.h/cpp     # HTTP data upload
│
├── .github/
│   └── workflows/
│       └── deploy.yml          # CI/CD Pipeline
├── docker-compose.yml
└── README.md

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• MongoDB installed locally
• Git

Installation

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/osayl12/CarConnect.git
cd CarConnect

2. Start the Backend

cd backend
npm install
node server.js

3. Start the Frontend

cd frontend
npm install
npm start

The app will open at http://localhost:3000

Environment Variables

Create a .env file inside /backend:

PORT=5000
MONGO_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/carconnect
JWT_SECRET=your_secret_key_here
CLIENT_URL=http://localhost:3000

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Arduino / ESP32 Setup

Hardware Required

Component	Description
ESP32 DevKit	Main microcontroller with WiFi
ELM327 Bluetooth v1.5	OBD2 adapter (PIC18F25K80 chip)
Jumper Wires	For connections

Wiring

ELM327 TX  →  ESP32 GPIO16 (RX2)
ELM327 RX  →  ESP32 GPIO17 (TX2)
ELM327 GND →  ESP32 GND
ELM327 VCC →  ESP32 VIN (5V)

Arduino Setup

1. Install Arduino IDE
2. Add ESP32 board URL in Preferences:

   https://raw.githubusercontent.com/espressif/arduino-esp32/gh-pages/package_esp32_index.json
   

3. Install libraries: ArduinoJson, ELMduino
4. Edit arduino/config.h with your WiFi credentials, server URL, and MongoDB user ID
5. Upload CarConnect_ESP32.ino to your ESP32

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Deployment

CI/CD Pipeline (GitHub Actions + Docker)

Every push to main automatically:

1. Builds Docker images for frontend and backend
2. Pushes images to DockerHub
3. SSHs into the Oracle Cloud server and deploys

Required GitHub Secrets

Secret	Description
DOCKERHUB_USERNAME	DockerHub username
DOCKERHUB_TOKEN	DockerHub access token
SSH_HOST	Oracle server IP
SSH_USER	SSH username (ubuntu)
SSH_KEY	Private SSH key
MONGO_URI	MongoDB connection string
JWT_SECRET	JWT secret key

Live URL

https://carconnect.duckdns.org

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API Endpoints

Auth

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/auth/register	Register new user
POST	/api/auth/login	Login
GET	/api/auth/me	Get current user

Faults

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/faults/my-faults	Client: get own faults
GET	/api/faults/mechanic-faults	Mechanic: get all faults
POST	/api/faults	Create fault report
PATCH	/api/faults/:id/status	Update fault status

Appointments

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/appointments/available	Get available slots
POST	/api/appointments/add-slot	Mechanic: add slot
PATCH	/api/appointments/:id/book	Client: book slot
PATCH	/api/appointments/:id/cancel	Cancel appointment

Sensor Data

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/sensor-data	ESP32: send vehicle data
GET	/api/sensor-data/latest	Get latest reading
GET	/api/sensor-data/history	Get history

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👨‍💻 Developer

Osayl — Kinneret College of Technology
Final Year Project — Software Engineering Track

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Built with ❤️ using React, Node.js, MongoDB, ESP32, and Docker