🎓 EduBond - Student Collaboration Platform

Connect. Learn. Grow. EduBond is a full-stack platform designed to bridge the gap between students, skills, and opportunities. It creates a decentralized ecosystem where students can trade skills, find freelance gigs, and connect with mentors in real-time.

🔗 Live Demo: https://edubond-app.vercel.app
🖥️ Backend API: https://edubond-backend.onrender.com

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🚀 Key Features

💼 Student Freelance Marketplace (Gigs)

• Post & Apply: Students can post paid gigs or apply to existing ones.
• Workflow Management: Track gig status from Open → Assigned → Completed.
• Review System: Users can leave ratings and reviews after completion.

🔄 Skill Exchange (Barter System)

• A unique "Give and Take" system where students trade knowledge (e.g., "I teach React, you teach Guitar").
• Removes financial barriers to learning.

👨‍🏫 Mentorship Hub

• Connects juniors with experienced seniors.
• Session booking and management system.

💬 Real-Time Communication

• Instant Messaging: Built with Socket.io for live, bi-directional communication.
• Private Rooms: Secure chat rooms for every gig and mentorship negotiation.
• Optimistic UI: Messages appear instantly for a seamless user experience.

🔐 Secure Authentication

• JWT (JSON Web Token) based authentication.
• Password encryption using Bcrypt.
• Protected routes and role-based access control.

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🛠️ Tech Stack

Domain	Technologies Used
Frontend	Next.js 15 (App Router), React, Tailwind CSS, DaisyUI, Lucide React, Axios
Backend	Node.js, Express.js, Socket.io (WebSockets)
Database	MongoDB Atlas, Mongoose ODM
Deployment	Vercel (Frontend), Render (Backend)
Tools	Git, GitHub, Postman, VS Code

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📂 Project Structure

This project follows a Monorepo-style structure containing both client and server code.

EduBond/
├── client/                 # Next.js Frontend
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── app/            # App Router Pages (Gigs, Chat, Dashboard)
│   │   ├── components/     # Reusable UI Components
│   │   ├── context/        # Auth Context & Global State
│   │   └── lib/            # Utilities
│   └── public/             # Static Assets
│
├── server/                 # Node.js Backend
│   ├── config/             # DB Connection
│   ├── models/             # Mongoose Schemas (User, Gig, Message)
│   ├── routes/             # API Endpoints
│   ├── server.js           # Entry point & Socket.io setup
│   └── .env                # Environment Variables
└── README.md

⚡ Getting Started Locally

Follow these steps to run EduBond on your local machine.

1. Clone the Repository

Bash

git clone [https://github.com/Venuu07/EduBond.git](https://github.com/Venuu07/EduBond.git)
cd EduBond

2. Backend Setup

Bash

cd server
npm install

Create a .env file in the server folder:

Code snippet

PORT=5000
MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
JWT_SECRET=your_super_secret_key

Run the server:

Bash

npm start
# Server runs on http://localhost:5000

3. Frontend Setup

Open a new terminal:

Bash

cd client
npm install

Create a .env.local file in the client folder:

Code snippet

NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=http://localhost:5000

Run the client:

Bash

npm run dev
# App runs on http://localhost:3000

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🔌 API Endpoints (Snapshot)

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/gigs	Fetch all available gigs
POST	/api/gigs	Create a new gig
POST	/api/users/login	Authenticate user & get Token
GET	/api/messages/:room	Fetch chat history for a room

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🌟 Future Improvements

• Video Integration: WebRTC for live mentorship calls.

• Payment Gateway: Stripe/Razorpay integration for paid gigs.

• AI Recommendations: Suggest gigs based on user skills.

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👨‍💻 Author

Venu Full Stack Developer GitHub | LinkedIn

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Built with ❤️ for the student community.