JobSphere 🌐

> A full-stack job board platform where employers post jobs, job seekers apply, and admins manage the entire ecosystem.

📌 Table of Contents

About the Project
Features
Architecture
Tech Stack
Installed Dependencies
Project Structure
Getting Started
Environment Variables
API Endpoints
User Roles
Testing
Screenshots
Roadmap
Contributing
License

📖 About the Project

JobSphere is a full-stack job board web application built as a learning project for server-side web development. It simulates a real-world hiring platform where three types of users interact — Job Seekers, Employers, and Admins.

The platform is split into two separate applications that communicate with each other:

A Node.js REST API that handles all business logic, authentication, database operations, file uploads, and email notifications.
A PHP Frontend that renders all pages and communicates with the API using cURL HTTP requests.

This architecture demonstrates how a decoupled frontend and backend work together in a professional, real-world setting.

✨ Features

👤 Job Seekers

Register and manage a personal profile
Browse and search job listings with filters (keyword, location, job type, salary)
Apply to jobs by uploading a CV (PDF or Word)
Write and submit a cover letter with each application
Track all submitted applications and their current status
Receive email notifications when application status is updated

🏢 Employers

Register and create a company profile with logo upload
Post, edit, and delete job listings
View all applications received for each listing
Download applicant CVs
Update application statuses (Reviewed, Shortlisted, Interview, Rejected, Offered)
Receive email notifications when someone applies

🛡️ Admins

Access a full admin dashboard with platform statistics
Approve or reject company registrations
Activate or deactivate user accounts
Remove inappropriate job listings
View all users, companies, jobs, and applications

🔧 Platform

JWT-based authentication with role-based access control
Secure file uploads for CVs and company logos
Email notifications using Nodemailer
Search and filter system for job listings
Fully decoupled REST API and PHP frontend
Comprehensive test coverage with Jest and PHPUnit

🏗️ Architecture

Browser
│
▼
PHP Frontend  (localhost:8000)
│  cURL HTTP Requests + JWT Token
▼
Node.js REST API  (localhost:5000)
│  Mongoose Queries
▼
MongoDB Atlas  (Cloud Database)

The PHP frontend never directly connects to the database. Every data request goes through the Node.js API. JWT tokens returned at login are stored in PHP sessions and sent as Authorization: Bearer <token> headers on every authenticated request.

🛠️ Tech Stack

Layer	Technology
Frontend	PHP 8, HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript
Backend	Node.js, Express.js
Database	MongoDB (via MongoDB Atlas)
ODM	Mongoose
Authentication	JWT (JSON Web Tokens)
Password Hashing	bcryptjs
File Uploads	Multer
Email	Nodemailer
API Communication	cURL (PHP → Node.js)
Testing Backend	Jest, Supertest, MongoDB Memory Server
Testing Frontend	PHPUnit
Dev Tools	Nodemon, Postman, Composer

📦 Installed Dependencies

Backend Dependencies (`jobsphere-backend/package.json`)

Production Dependencies

Package	Version	Purpose
`express`	^4.18.2	Web framework for Node.js
`mongoose`	^7.0.0	MongoDB object modeling (ODM)
`bcryptjs`	^2.4.3	Password hashing and encryption
`jsonwebtoken`	^9.0.0	JWT authentication tokens
`multer`	^1.4.5-lts.1	File upload handling (CVs, logos)
`nodemailer`	^6.9.0	Email sending service
`dotenv`	^16.0.3	Environment variable management
`cors`	^2.8.5	Cross-Origin Resource Sharing
`express-validator`	^6.15.0	Request validation and sanitization

Development Dependencies

Package	Version	Purpose
`jest`	^29.5.0	JavaScript testing framework
`supertest`	^6.3.3	HTTP assertion library for testing
`mongodb-memory-server`	^8.12.0	In-memory MongoDB for testing
`nodemon`	^2.0.22	Auto-restart server on file changes

Install all backend dependencies:

cd jobsphere-backend
npm install

---

## 📁 Project Structure

### Backend — `jobsphere-backend/`

jobsphere-backend/ │ ├── src/ │ ├── config/ │ │ └── db.js # MongoDB connection │ │ │ ├── models/ │ │ ├── User.js │ │ ├── Company.js │ │ ├── Job.js │ │ └── Application.js │ │ │ ├── routes/ │ │ ├── index.js │ │ ├── auth.routes.js │ │ ├── job.routes.js │ │ ├── company.routes.js │ │ ├── application.routes.js │ │ └── admin.routes.js │ │ │ ├── controllers/ │ │ ├── auth.controller.js │ │ ├── job.controller.js │ │ ├── company.controller.js │ │ ├── application.controller.js │ │ └── admin.controller.js │ │ │ ├── services/ │ │ ├── auth.service.js │ │ ├── job.service.js │ │ ├── email.service.js │ │ └── upload.service.js │ │ │ ├── middleware/ │ │ ├── auth.middleware.js │ │ ├── role.middleware.js │ │ ├── error.middleware.js │ │ └── validate.middleware.js │ │ │ └── utils/ │ ├── response.js │ ├── jwt.js │ └── asyncHandler.js │ ├── tests/ # Test suites │ ├── setup.js # Test database configuration │ ├── unit/ │ │ ├── models/ │ │ │ ├── User.test.js │ │ │ ├── Job.test.js │ │ │ └── Company.test.js │ │ ├── services/ │ │ │ ├── email.service.test.js │ │ │ └── upload.service.test.js │ │ └── utils/ │ │ └── jwt.test.js │ └── integration/ │ ├── auth.routes.test.js │ ├── job.routes.test.js │ └── application.routes.test.js │ ├── uploads/ │ ├── cvs/ # Uploaded CV storage │ └── logos/ # Uploaded company logos │ ├── coverage/ # Jest coverage reports ├── .env ├── .env.example ├── .gitignore ├── app.js ├── server.js ├── package.json └── package-lock.json


### Frontend — `jobsphere-frontend/`

jobsphere-frontend/ │ ├── config/ │ └── app.php # API base URL, app settings │ ├── src/ │ ├── helpers/ │ │ ├── api.helper.php # cURL wrapper for API calls │ │ ├── auth.helper.php # Session management │ │ └── format.helper.php # Date, salary formatting │ │ │ ├── middleware/ │ │ ├── require_auth.php │ │ ├── require_guest.php │ │ └── require_role.php │ │ │ └── partials/ │ ├── header.php │ ├── footer.php │ ├── navbar.php │ ├── job_card.php │ ├── alert.php │ └── pagination.php │ ├── pages/ │ ├── auth/ │ │ ├── login.php │ │ ├── register.php │ │ └── logout.php │ │ │ ├── jobs/ │ │ ├── index.php │ │ ├── view.php │ │ └── create.php │ │ │ ├── companies/ │ │ ├── view.php │ │ └── edit.php │ │ │ ├── dashboard/ │ │ ├── jobseeker/ │ │ │ ├── index.php │ │ │ └── applications.php │ │ └── employer/ │ │ ├── index.php │ │ ├── listings.php │ │ └── applicants.php │ │ │ └── admin/ │ ├── index.php │ ├── users.php │ ├── companies.php │ └── jobs.php │ ├── tests/ # PHPUnit test suites │ ├── unit/ │ │ └── helpers/ │ │ ├── api.helper.test.php │ │ └── auth.helper.test.php │ └── integration/ │ └── pages/ │ └── auth.test.php │ ├── assets/ │ ├── css/ │ ├── js/ │ └── images/ │ ├── vendor/ # Composer dependencies ├── phpunit.xml # PHPUnit configuration ├── .phpunit.result.cache # PHPUnit test cache ├── .htaccess ├── .gitignore └── index.php


---

## 🚀 Getting Started

### Prerequisites

Make sure you have the following installed:

- [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/) v18 or higher
- [PHP](https://www.php.net/) v8.0 or higher
- [Composer](https://getcomposer.org/) (optional but recommended)
- A [MongoDB Atlas](https://www.mongodb.com/cloud/atlas) free account
- [Postman](https://www.postman.com/) (for API testing)

---

### 1. Clone the Repository

```bash
git clone https://github.com/your-username/jobsphere.git
cd jobsphere

2. Set Up the Backend (Node.js API)

cd jobsphere-api
npm install

Create your .env file by copying the example:

cp .env.example .env

Fill in your environment variables (see Environment Variables section below).

Start the development server:

npm run dev

The API will run at http://localhost:5000

3. Set Up the Frontend (PHP)

cd jobsphere-frontend

Open config/app.php and make sure the API URL points to your running Node.js server:

define('API_BASE_URL', 'http://localhost:5000/api');

Start the PHP development server:

php -S localhost:8000

The frontend will run at http://localhost:8000

4. Set Up Admin Account

After registering a user, go to your MongoDB Atlas dashboard, find that user in the users collection, and manually change their role field from "jobseeker" to "admin". This user can now access the admin panel at /pages/admin/index.php.

🔑 Environment Variables

Create a .env file inside jobsphere-api/ with the following:

# Server
PORT=5000

# MongoDB
MONGO_URI=mongodb+srv://<username>:<password>@cluster.mongodb.net/jobsphere

# JWT
JWT_SECRET=your_strong_secret_key_here
JWT_EXPIRES_IN=7d

# Email (Gmail SMTP)
EMAIL_USER=your_email@gmail.com
EMAIL_PASS=your_gmail_app_password

# Frontend URL (for CORS)
FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:8000

Note: For Gmail, you need to generate an App Password from your Google account security settings. Do not use your regular Gmail password.

📡 API Endpoints

Auth

Method	Endpoint	Access	Description
POST	`/api/auth/register`	Public	Register a new user
POST	`/api/auth/login`	Public	Login and receive JWT
GET	`/api/auth/me`	Private	Get logged in user

Jobs

Method	Endpoint	Access	Description
GET	`/api/jobs`	Public	Get all active jobs (supports filters)
GET	`/api/jobs/:id`	Public	Get single job
POST	`/api/jobs`	Employer	Create a job listing
PUT	`/api/jobs/:id`	Employer	Update own job listing
DELETE	`/api/jobs/:id`	Employer	Delete own job listing
GET	`/api/jobs/my-listings`	Employer	Get employer's own listings

Companies

Method	Endpoint	Access	Description
POST	`/api/companies`	Employer	Create company profile
GET	`/api/companies/:id`	Public	View company profile
PUT	`/api/companies/:id`	Employer	Update company profile

Applications

Method	Endpoint	Access	Description
POST	`/api/applications/:jobId`	Job Seeker	Apply to a job (CV upload)
GET	`/api/applications/my-apps`	Job Seeker	View my applications
GET	`/api/applications/job/:jobId`	Employer	View applicants for a job
PUT	`/api/applications/:id/status`	Employer	Update application status

Admin

Method	Endpoint	Access	Description
GET	`/api/admin/stats`	Admin	Platform statistics
GET	`/api/admin/users`	Admin	List all users
PUT	`/api/admin/users/:id/status`	Admin	Activate/deactivate user
GET	`/api/admin/companies/pending`	Admin	Pending company approvals
PUT	`/api/admin/companies/:id/approve`	Admin	Approve or reject company
DELETE	`/api/admin/jobs/:id`	Admin	Remove any job listing

👥 User Roles

Role	Description
`jobseeker`	Can browse jobs, apply, track applications
`employer`	Can create company, post jobs, manage applicants
`admin`	Full platform control, set manually in database

📸 Screenshots

Screenshots will be added as the project develops.

🗺️ Roadmap

✅ Core Features (Phase 1–6)

Project setup and folder structure
JWT Authentication with role-based access
Company profile creation and logo upload
Job listings CRUD with search and filter
Job applications with CV upload
Email notifications (Nodemailer)
Admin panel and dashboard

🔮 Planned Expansions

Saved jobs and job alerts (cron jobs)
Company reviews by applicants
Application status pipeline (Kanban-style)
Interview scheduling system
Employer subscription plans with Stripe payments
Resume/CV builder (PDF generation with PDFKit)
Employer analytics dashboard
REST API refactor with React frontend
Real-time notifications with Socket.io

🤝 Contributing

This is a personal learning project but contributions, suggestions, and feedback are welcome.

Fork the repository
Create a new branch (git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name)
Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some feature')
Push to the branch (git push origin feature/your-feature-name)
Open a Pull Request

📄 License

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

👨‍💻 Author

Your Name

GitHub: @your-username
LinkedIn: your-linkedin

Built with ❤️ as a university server-side web development project.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 42 Commits
jobsphere-backend		jobsphere-backend
jobsphere-frontend		jobsphere-frontend
.gitignore		.gitignore
.md		.md
README.md		README.md

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