🎓 AcadNet - Academic Study Platform

Learn together, grow together - Join or build study groups tailored to your syllabus.

AcadNet is a comprehensive academic collaboration platform designed to connect students through structured study groups, resource sharing, and interactive discussions. Built with modern web technologies, it facilitates seamless academic collaboration and knowledge sharing.

✨ Key Features

🔗 Study Group Management

• Create & Join Groups: Form study groups with custom syllabi and course structures
• Public & Private Groups: Control group visibility and access
• Anonymous Participation: Join groups without revealing your identity
• Role-based Access: Admin and member roles with different permissions

📚 Resource Sharing

• File Upload & Management: Share notes, assignments, and study materials
• Content Moderation: Admin approval system for shared resources
• Topic Organization: Categorize resources by syllabus topics and subtopics
• Like/Dislike System: Community-driven content rating

💬 Discussion Forums

• Group Forums: Dedicated discussion spaces for each study group
• Threaded Conversations: Organized discussions with replies and nested comments
• Pinned Threads: Highlight important discussions
• Moderation Tools: Lock threads and manage conversations

👤 User Management

• Profile System: Complete user profiles with educational background
• Authentication: Secure login with OAuth integration (GitHub)
• User Reporting: Community moderation and safety features
• Admin Dashboard: System administration tools

🏗️ Tech Stack

Backend

• Framework: Express.js
• Database: PostgreSQL with Sequelize ORM
• Authentication: JWT + Passport.js (GitHub OAuth)
• File Storage: Local file system with organized structure
• Email: Nodemailer for OTP verification

Frontend

• Framework: React 19 with TypeScript
• Build Tool: Vite
• Styling: Tailwind CSS
• UI Components: Radix UI + Shadcn/UI
• State Management: React Context API
• Routing: React Router DOM

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18 or later)
• PostgreSQL
• npm

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/anishkn04/AcadNet.git
   cd AcadNet

2. Install dependencies

   npm install

3. Database Setup

   # Create PostgreSQL database
   createdb acadnet

4. Environment Configuration Create a .env file in the root directory:

   # PostgreSQL Database Configuration
   PG_HOST=localhost
   PG_PORT=5432
   PG_USER=your_postgres_user
   PG_PASSWORD=your_postgres_password
   PG_DATABASE=acadnet
   
   # JWT Secrets
   JWT_ACCESS_SECRET=your_jwt_access_secret
   JWT_REFRESH_SECRET=your_jwt_refresh_secret
   
   # GitHub OAuth Credentials (Optional)
   GITHUB_CLIENT_ID=your_github_client_id
   GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET=your_github_client_secret
   
   # Email Configuration
   EMAIL=your_email@example.com
   EMAIL_PASSWORD=your_email_password
   
   # Server Configuration
   BACKEND_PORT=3000

5. Start the Application

   # Backend server (Terminal 1)
   npm start
   
   # Frontend development server (Terminal 2)
   npm run dev

6. Access the Application

   • Frontend: http://localhost:5173
   • Backend API: http://localhost:3000
   • API Documentation: http://localhost:3000/api-docs

📁 Project Structure

AcadNet/
├── backend/
│   ├── controllers/         # Route handlers
│   ├── models/             # Database models (Sequelize)
│   ├── routes/             # API route definitions
│   ├── services/           # Business logic layer
│   ├── middlewares/        # Express middlewares
│   ├── config/             # Database & app configuration
│   ├── passport/           # OAuth strategies
│   ├── utils/              # Utility functions
│   └── validator/          # Input validation
├── frontend/
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── components/     # React components
│   │   ├── pages/          # Page components
│   │   ├── services/       # API service functions
│   │   ├── hooks/          # Custom React hooks
│   │   ├── types/          # TypeScript type definitions
│   │   ├── utils/          # Utility functions
│   │   └── data/           # Static data & constants
│   └── public/             # Static assets
└── package.json

📋 Available Scripts

# Development
npm start          # Start backend server with nodemon
npm run dev        # Start frontend development server
npm run build      # Build frontend for production
npm run preview    # Preview production build
npm run lint       # Run ESLint on frontend

# Testing
npm test          # Run tests (not yet configured)

🔌 API Endpoints

Authentication Routes (/api/v1/auth)

Method	Endpoint	Description	Protected
POST	/signup	Register new user	No
POST	/login	User login	No
GET	/github	GitHub OAuth login	No
POST	/logout	Logout user	No
POST	/refresh-token	Refresh JWT token	Yes
POST	/otp-auth	Send OTP verification	No
POST	/otp-verify	Verify OTP	No
POST	/password-reset	Reset password	No

Study Groups (/api/v1/groups)

Method	Endpoint	Description	Protected
GET	/	Get all groups	Yes
POST	/create	Create new group	Yes
GET	/:groupCode	Get group details	Yes
POST	/:groupCode/join	Join a group	Yes
POST	/:groupCode/leave	Leave a group	Yes
POST	/:groupCode/resources	Upload resources	Yes

Forum Routes (/api/v1/forum)

Method	Endpoint	Description	Protected
GET	/groups/:groupCode/forum	Get group forum	Yes
POST	/groups/:groupCode/threads	Create thread	Yes
GET	/threads/:threadId	Get thread details	Yes
POST	/threads/:threadId/replies	Create reply	Yes

🌟 Key Features Deep Dive

Study Group Workflow

1. Create Account - Register with email and complete profile
2. Browse Groups - Discover existing study groups or create custom ones
3. Join/Create - Join groups matching your courses or create new groups
4. Collaborate - Share resources, participate in discussions
5. Moderate - Admins manage content and members

Resource Management

• Upload study materials with topic categorization
• Admin approval system for quality control
• Community rating system (likes/dislikes)
• Organized storage by group and topic structure

Discussion System

• Real-time forum discussions within study groups
• Threaded conversations for organized communication
• Moderation tools (pin/lock threads)
• Anonymous participation options

🛡️ Security & Privacy

• JWT Authentication: Secure token-based authentication
• CSRF Protection: Cross-site request forgery protection
• Input Validation: Comprehensive validation using express-validator
• File Upload Security: Safe file handling with type validation
• Privacy Controls: Anonymous participation and private groups

👥 Contributing Team

• Rishav Chapagain
• Anish Kumar Neupane
• Rushab Risal
• Nishan Paudel

🔗 Links

• Issues: Bug Reports & Feature Requests

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Built with ❤️ for academic collaboration