ScanBy - QR-Based Secure Document Access System

ScanBy is a modern, full-stack web application designed for secure, QR-based document sharing and access. Built with a FastAPI backend and a Next.js Progressive Web App (PWA) frontend, it provides a seamless and secure experience across both desktop and mobile devices.

🚀 Features

• QR-Based Access: Generate secure QR codes for documents to share them effortlessly.
• Progressive Web App (PWA): Installable on mobile devices with offline capabilities and a native app feel.
• High-Performance Backend: Powered by FastAPI for asynchronous request handling and high throughput.
• Modern Frontend: Built with Next.js, React 19, and Framer Motion for smooth, interactive UI animations.
• Security & Rate Limiting: Implements slowapi for rate limiting to prevent abuse, along with strict CORS policies.
• Developer Experience: Includes a custom run.py launcher that automatically configures local network access (WiFi IP detection) so you can instantly test on your mobile device.

🛠️ Technology Stack

Frontend

• Framework: Next.js (React)
• State Management: Zustand
• Animations: Framer Motion
• PWA Support: next-pwa
• QR Code Generation: qrcode.react
• HTTP Client: Axios

Backend

• Framework: FastAPI (Python)
• Server: Uvicorn
• Rate Limiting: SlowAPI
• Database Integration: Modular structure with database connection pooling (database.py, models, routers).

⚙️ Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8+
• Node.js 18+

Installation & Setup

1. Clone the repository (if you haven't already):

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/scanby.git
   cd scanby

2. Run the automated dev launcher: The project includes a unified launcher that sets up and runs both the backend and frontend simultaneously.

   python run.py

   Launcher Features:

   • python run.py: Starts both servers. Automatically detects your WiFi IP so you can test on your phone by scanning a local network URL.
   • python run.py --local: Starts the servers on localhost only (with Next.js Hot Module Replacement enabled).

   The launcher will guide you to create the Python virtual environment if it doesn't exist.

Manual Setup (Optional)

Backend:

cd backend
python -m venv venv
# Windows: venv\Scripts\activate | Mac/Linux: source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
uvicorn app.main:app --reload --port 8000

Frontend:

cd frontend
npm install
npm run dev

📁 Project Structure

Scanby/
├── backend/                  # FastAPI backend application
│   ├── app/                  # Application code (routers, models, middleware)
│   ├── requirements.txt      # Python dependencies
│   └── .env.example          # Backend environment variables
├── frontend/                 # Next.js frontend application
│   ├── app/                  # Next.js App Router
│   ├── public/               # Static assets
│   ├── package.json          # Node.js dependencies
│   └── .env.example          # Frontend environment variables
├── .gitignore                # Global git ignores
├── run.py                    # Unified development server launcher
└── README.md                 # Project documentation

💼 Why this stands out on a resume

• End-to-End System Design: Demonstrates the ability to architecture and integrate a decoupled backend (FastAPI) and frontend (Next.js).
• Mobile-First & PWA: Shows knowledge of modern web capabilities (Progressive Web Apps) making it responsive and app-like.
• Security & Network Awareness: Custom launcher configures local IPs automatically for mobile testing, and the backend implements rate-limiting.