RoomFinder (ROOM-WISE)

RoomFinder is a full-stack MERN application for discovering and posting room/roommate listings. It includes secure authentication, listing management, image upload, and real-time chat between users.

Features

• Authentication with JWT and protected routes
• Create, edit, and delete room listings
• Image upload and optimization pipeline (Cloudinary + Sharp)
• Listing search/filter workflows
• Real-time messaging with Socket.IO
• Responsive React UI with Tailwind CSS

Tech Stack

• Frontend: React, Vite, Tailwind CSS, React Router
• Backend: Node.js, Express, Socket.IO
• Database: MongoDB (Mongoose)
• Auth/Security: JWT, bcrypt, cookie-based sessions, rate limiting
• Media: Cloudinary, Multer, Sharp

Repository Structure

RoomFinder/
  api/         # Express API + Socket.IO server
  MERN-ROOM/   # React frontend (Vite)

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ (recommended)
• npm 9+
• MongoDB connection string
• Cloudinary account credentials
• Google Maps API key (for map-related frontend features)

Environment Variables

Create an .env file in api/:

PORT=5000
MONGO_URL=your_mongodb_connection_string
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
AES_SECRET_KEY=your_aes_secret

CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloud_name
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your_api_key
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your_api_secret

NODE_ENV=development

Create an .env file in MERN-ROOM/:

VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:5000
VITE_GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY=your_google_maps_key

Local Setup

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/meghshah324/RoomFinder.git
cd RoomFinder

2. Install backend dependencies

cd api
npm install

3. Install frontend dependencies

cd ../MERN-ROOM
npm install

Run the Project

Use two terminals.

1. Start backend server

cd api
npm run dev

2. Start frontend app

cd MERN-ROOM
npm run dev

Frontend: http://localhost:5173
Backend health check: http://localhost:5000/api/health

Available Scripts

Backend (api/package.json):

• npm run dev - Start API with nodemon
• npm start - Start API with node

Frontend (MERN-ROOM/package.json):

• npm run dev - Start Vite dev server
• npm run build - Build production bundle
• npm run preview - Preview production build
• npm run lint - Run ESLint