SkillSwap Platform

A full-stack web application that enables users to exchange skills with each other. Users can create profiles, list their skills, browse others' skills, and request skill swaps.

🎉 Current Status - WORKING DEMO!

✅ LIVE FEATURES:

• ✅ User authentication (register/login) with JSON file storage
• ✅ User profiles with skills management
• ✅ Browse and search skills functionality
• ✅ Dashboard with user overview
• ✅ Skills API (suggestions, popular skills, stats)
• ✅ File-based database (no MongoDB setup required)

🔧 TEST CREDENTIALS:

• Email: john@example.com / Password: password123
• Email: jane@example.com / Password: password123 (Admin)
• Email: alice@example.com / Password: password123

🚀 QUICK START:

1. cd backend && npm install && npm run dev (starts on port 5001)
2. cd frontend && npm install && npm start (opens http://localhost:3000)
3. Login with test credentials and explore!

---

Features

User Features

• User Registration & Authentication: Secure JWT-based authentication
• Profile Management: Create and update profiles with skills offered/wanted
• Skill Discovery: Browse and search for skills offered by other users
• Swap Requests: Send and manage skill swap requests
• Rating System: Rate and provide feedback after skill exchanges
• Availability Scheduling: Set availability preferences
• Privacy Controls: Make profiles public or private

Admin Features

• User Management: View, ban/unban users
• Swap Monitoring: Monitor all swap requests and activities
• Platform Messages: Send platform-wide announcements
• Reporting: Generate user activity and swap statistics reports
• Content Moderation: Review and manage inappropriate content

Technology Stack

Frontend

• React.js with TypeScript
• Material-UI (MUI) for UI components
• React Router for navigation
• Axios for API calls
• React Hook Form for form management
• React Toastify for notifications

Backend

• Node.js with Express.js
• MongoDB with Mongoose ODM
• JWT for authentication
• Bcrypt for password hashing
• Multer for file uploads
• Express Validator for input validation
• Helmet for security headers
• CORS for cross-origin requests

Project Structure

skill-swap-platform/
├── frontend/                 # React.js frontend
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── components/      # Reusable UI components
│   │   ├── pages/          # Page components
│   │   ├── contexts/       # React contexts
│   │   ├── services/       # API services
│   │   └── types/          # TypeScript interfaces
│   └── public/
├── backend/                 # Node.js backend
│   ├── models/             # MongoDB models
│   ├── routes/             # API routes
│   ├── middleware/         # Custom middleware
│   └── uploads/            # File uploads directory
└── README.md

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• MongoDB (v4.4 or higher)
• npm or yarn

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd skill-swap-platform

2. Install Backend Dependencies

   cd backend
   npm install

3. Install Frontend Dependencies

   cd ../frontend
   npm install

4. Environment Setup

   Create .env file in the backend directory:

   NODE_ENV=development
   PORT=5000
   MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/skill-swap
   JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_key_here
   JWT_EXPIRE=7d
   FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:3000

   Create .env file in the frontend directory:

   REACT_APP_API_URL=http://localhost:5000/api

5. Start MongoDB Make sure MongoDB is running on your system.

6. Start the Development Servers

   Backend (from backend directory):

   npm run dev

   Frontend (from frontend directory):

   npm start

7. Access the Application

   • Frontend: http://localhost:3000
   • Backend API: http://localhost:5000/api

API Endpoints

Authentication

• POST /api/auth/register - User registration
• POST /api/auth/login - User login
• GET /api/auth/me - Get current user
• POST /api/auth/refresh - Refresh token

Users

• GET /api/users - Get all public users
• GET /api/users/:id - Get user by ID
• PUT /api/users/profile - Update user profile
• POST /api/users/profile/photo - Upload profile photo
• GET /api/users/:id/swaps - Get user's swap history

Swaps

• POST /api/swaps - Create swap request
• GET /api/swaps/my-swaps - Get user's swaps
• GET /api/swaps/:id - Get swap by ID
• PUT /api/swaps/:id/status - Update swap status
• PUT /api/swaps/:id/complete - Mark swap as completed
• DELETE /api/swaps/:id - Cancel swap request
• POST /api/swaps/:id/feedback - Submit feedback

Skills

• GET /api/skills/suggestions - Get skill suggestions
• GET /api/skills/popular - Get popular skills
• GET /api/skills/stats - Get skill statistics

Admin

• GET /api/admin/dashboard - Get admin dashboard stats
• GET /api/admin/users - Get all users (admin)
• PUT /api/admin/users/:id/ban - Ban/unban user
• GET /api/admin/swaps - Get all swaps (admin)
• POST /api/admin/messages - Create platform message
• GET /api/admin/reports/:type - Generate reports

Default Admin User

To create an admin user, you can manually update a user in the database:

// In MongoDB shell or through a database client
db.users.updateOne(
  { email: "admin@example.com" },
  { $set: { isAdmin: true } }
)

Database Schema

User Model

• Basic info (name, email, password)
• Location and profile photo
• Skills offered and wanted
• Availability preferences
• Privacy settings
• Rating information
• Admin status

Swap Model

• Requester and receiver references
• Skills being exchanged
• Status (pending, accepted, rejected, completed, cancelled)
• Scheduling information
• Feedback and ratings
• Admin notes

Message Model

• Platform-wide announcements
• Message types and priorities
• Target audience settings
• Read status tracking

Development

Running Tests

# Backend tests
cd backend
npm test

# Frontend tests
cd frontend
npm test

Building for Production

# Build frontend
cd frontend
npm run build

# Start backend in production mode
cd backend
npm start

Demo Image of Homepage:

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

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

Support

For support, email support@skillswap.com or join our Slack channel.

Roadmap

• Real-time messaging system
• Video call integration
• Mobile app development
• Payment integration for premium features
• Advanced matching algorithms
• Group skill sessions
• Skill certification system