RentNow — Project Summary

This README provides a concise summary of the RentNow project and its system design (inferred from the repository and the included system-design PDF). It covers the purpose, architecture, major components, data models, API routes, local setup, and suggested next steps.

Project purpose

RentNow is a rental marketplace web application where owners can list properties and renters can search, book, and manage bookings. The project contains a React-based client and an Express/MongoDB server.

High-level architecture

• Client: React (Vite) single-page application. Responsible for UI, routing, form handling, and calling the server APIs.
• Server: Node.js + Express API. Handles authentication, property management, image uploads, bookings, and user profiles.
• Database: MongoDB via Mongoose (models located in server/models).
• File storage: images are uploaded with multer and saved to the images/ folder (server-side middleware: uploadimg.mw.js).

Communication flow: client (axios/fetch) -> Express REST API -> MongoDB.

Tech stack

• Frontend: React, Vite, TailwindCSS, styled-components, react-router-dom, Formik, Yup.
• Backend: Node.js, Express, Mongoose, Multer, bcrypt, jsonwebtoken, cors, cookie-parser.
• Dev tools: nodemon for development server auto-restart.

Important files & folders

• client/ — React SPA source.
  • src/ — components, pages, hooks, and assets.
• server/ — Express API server.
  • models/ — Mongoose schemas: user.mod.js, property.mod.js, booking.mod.js.
  • Controllers/ — request handlers for users, properties, bookings.
  • routers/ — users.route.js, property.route.js (mount API endpoints).
  • middlewares/ — uploadimg.mw.js, checkLogin.mw.js.
  • images/ — uploaded image files.

Data models (key fields)

• User (server/models/user.mod.js)

  • name, email (unique), password (hashed), usertype, phone, profession, institution, addresses, file (profile image)

• Property (server/models/property.mod.js)

  • pid, location, type, owner_id, farea (floor/area), price, details, rate, available, file (image path/filename)

• Booking (server/models/booking.mod.js)

  • renter_id (ref users), product_id (ref properties), owner_id (ref users), booking_date, booking_expired, total_amount

API overview (selected endpoints)

Note: routes are defined in server/routers and implemented in server/Controllers.

• Users

  • POST /users/sign — register a new user
  • POST /users/login — authenticate user (returns token / cookie depending on implementation)
  • GET /users/profile/:email — get user profile by email
  • GET /users/allUser — list all users
  • POST /users/booking — create a booking
  • GET /users/bookedo/:id — bookings where user is owner
  • GET /users/bookedr/:id — bookings where user is renter
  • DELETE /users/delproperty/:id — delete a property
  • DELETE /users/delbooking/:id — cancel a booking
  • PUT /users/getprofileimg — upload profile image (multer)

• Properties

  • POST /property/add — add property with image (multer)
  • GET /property/showall — list all properties
  • GET /property/getproperty/:uid — get properties by user id
  • GET /property/search — search properties (query params)
  • PUT /property/availabilityup/:id — update availability
  • PUT /property/likeup/:id — increment likes/rating

Exact request/response payloads are implemented in server/Controllers files.

Running locally (quick steps)

1. Install backend dependencies and start server:

cd server
npm install
npm run start

2. Install frontend dependencies and start client:

cd client
npm install
npm run dev

3. Environment

• The server expects a MongoDB connection. Check dbconnect.js and .env usage. Create a .env with the necessary variables (for example MONGO_URI, JWT_SECRET, PORT).

Assumptions made

• The provided RentOn_System_Design.pdf couldn't be parsed cleanly as text in this environment (binary PDF). I inferred system design from source code, routes, and models.
• Auth token flow (JWT/cookies) is implemented in server/Controllers but details (cookie vs Authorization header) should be confirmed by inspecting controller code or .env.

Next steps / improvements

• Add a concise API reference (request bodies & sample responses) in docs/API.md or inline in each controller as JSDoc.
• Add environment sample: server/.env.example listing required variables.
• Add end-to-end tests for core flows (signup/login/add property/booking).
• Harden auth: ensure protected routes are guarded by checkLogin.mw.js.
• Add README sections for deployment (Docker, production env) if needed.

Author

Mustakim Billah Rafi