Geeta University MerchStore

Welcome to the Geeta University MerchStore – a full-stack MERN web application developed for Geeta University students, faculty, and administrators to browse, purchase, and manage campus merchandise.

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🏗️ Architecture Diagram

graph TD
    %% Clients
    subgraph Client-Side [Frontend - React / Redux / Tailwind]
        UserUI["Customer UI (Vercel)"]
        AdminUI["Admin Panel (Vercel)"]
    end

    %% Gateway & Server
    subgraph Server-Side [Backend - Node.js / Express]
        API["API Server (Render)"]
        SocketServer["Socket.io Server (Real-time updates)"]
        Cron["Inventory Cron Job (Low-Stock Alert)"]
    end

    %% Database & External Services
    subgraph External-Services [Database & Third-Party APIs]
        DB[(MongoDB Atlas)]
        Cloudinary["Cloudinary CDN (Image Storage)"]
        Stripe["Stripe Payments (Gateway & Webhooks)"]
        Nodemailer["Nodemailer SMTP (Gmail Alerts)"]
    end

    %% Connections
    UserUI -->|REST API Requests| API
    AdminUI -->|REST API Requests| API
    
    UserUI <-->|Websocket Connection| SocketServer
    AdminUI <-->|Websocket Connection| SocketServer
    
    API -->|Read/Write Operations| DB
    API -->|Asset Upload| Cloudinary
    API -->|Initiate Payment Intent| Stripe
    
    Stripe -->|Payment Webhook Callback| API
    Cron -->|Daily Stock Audit| DB
    Cron -->|SMTP Alert Mail| Nodemailer

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🛠️ Tech Stack & Key Features

Frontend (Client)

• Vite & React 19: Ultra-fast build tool and modern components.
• Redux Toolkit: Centralized global state management (auth, cart, orders, products, admin slices).
• Tailwind CSS: Modern utility-first CSS styling with customized brand assets.
• Socket.io-client: Real-time WebSocket connection to display instant order status updates.
• Lucide Icons & Framer Motion: Interactive vectors and micro-animations for high-fidelity aesthetics.

Backend (Server)

• Node.js & Express: Scalable API scaffolding.
• Mongoose & MongoDB: Object modeling and document database.
• Passport.js & JWT: Secure email/password login and Google OAuth 2.0 social auth with RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) guards.
• Stripe SDK: Payment Intents with webhook verification and idempotency keys.
• Node-Cron & Nodemailer: Automatic inventory low-stock checks and email alert dispatches.

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📁 Repository Folder Structure

Merchstore/
├── client/                     # Frontend Application
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── app/                # Redux Store Config
│   │   ├── components/         # Reusable Global Components
│   │   ├── features/           # Redux Slices (auth, cart, products, orders, admin)
│   │   ├── hooks/              # Custom Hooks (useAuth, useSocket)
│   │   ├── pages/              # Routing Views (Home, Catalog, Checkout, Admin, Dashboard)
│   │   ├── routes/             # Route Guards (ProtectedRoute, AdminRoutes)
│   │   └── utils/              # Axios Instance Config & Helper Files
│   ├── index.html
│   ├── tailwind.config.js
│   └── vite.config.js
├── server/                     # Backend API Application
│   ├── config/                 # Configurations (db, cloudinary, passport)
│   ├── controllers/            # Controller Handlers (auth, orders, products, etc.)
│   ├── cron/                   # Low-stock Background Cron Scheduler
│   ├── middleware/             # Route Guards & Error Handlers
│   ├── models/                 # Database Schemas (User, Product, Order, etc.)
│   ├── routes/                 # API Routes Mapping
│   ├── services/               # Stripe, Email, and Inventory Services
│   ├── socket/                 # Socket.io Rooms Configuration
│   ├── tests/                  # Jest Unit & Integration Test Suites
│   ├── utils/                  # Helper Utilities (generateToken, cloudinaryUpload)
│   ├── validators/             # Zod Validation Schemas
│   ├── seed.js                 # Local Database Seeder Script
│   └── server.js               # Express Server Entry Point
└── postman/                    # Postman Collection JSON Files

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🚀 Local Installation & Configuration

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18+ recommended)
• MongoDB Community Server (for local testing, or a MongoDB Atlas URI)

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/tanmaysingla84-collab/Merchstore.git
cd Merchstore

Step 2: Configure Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the server/ directory:

PORT=5000
NODE_ENV=development
MONGO_URI=mongodb://127.0.0.1:27017/merchstore
JWT_SECRET=super_secret_for_local_testing_merchstore
JWT_EXPIRES_IN=7d
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=dummy_google_id
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=dummy_google_secret
GOOGLE_CALLBACK_URL=http://localhost:5000/api/auth/google/callback
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=dummy_cloud
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=dummy_key
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=dummy_secret
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_dummy
STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_dummy
SMTP_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USER=merch@geetauniversity.ac.in
SMTP_PASS=dummy_pass
ALERT_EMAIL=admin@geetauniversity.ac.in
LOW_STOCK_THRESHOLD=10
CRON_SCHEDULE="0 8 * * *"
CLIENT_URL=http://localhost:5173

Step 3: Run Backend Service

cd server
npm install
node seed.js     # Seeds local database with initial mock users & products
npm run dev      # Launches dev server on http://localhost:5000

Step 4: Run Frontend Application

Open a new terminal window:

cd client
npm install
npm run dev      # Launches react dev server on http://localhost:5173

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🧪 Testing

To run the automated test suite on the backend:

cd server
npm test

The test suite contains 68 unit/integration tests covering all auth, order, payment, and inventory workflows.

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👥 Authors & Contributions

• Member 1: Scaffolding, Models, Auth & Product APIs, Cloudinary.
• Member 2: Cart, Order Transactions, Stripe SDK, WebSockets, Email service.
• Member 3: Frontend Catalog, Cart, Checkout, Dashboard UI & state logic.
• Member 4: Admin Dashboard, Product Form Modals, Order Status toggling, Custom SVG charts, Routing & E2E Postman.