Northeastern Ranked

A web application that showcases exceptional engineering talent at Northeastern University through a fun, interactive ranking system.

Technologies Used

• Frontend: Next.js, Tailwind CSS
• Backend: Python, FastAPI
• Database: MongoDB

Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

• Python 3.9+
• Node.js and npm
• MongoDB

1. Setting up MongoDB

# Install MongoDB using Homebrew (macOS)
brew tap mongodb/brew
brew install mongodb-community@6.0

# Start MongoDB service
brew services start mongodb-community@6.0

# Create the database (run in MongoDB shell)
mongosh
> use northeastern_ranked
> db.createCollection("profiles")
> exit

2. Setting up the backend

# Navigate to backend directory
cd nuranked/backend

# Create a virtual environment
python -m venv venv

# Activate the virtual environment
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

# Install dependencies
pip install fastapi uvicorn motor pydantic python-dotenv

# Create .env file with database configuration
cat > .env << EOL
# .env.production
MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017
DATABASE_NAME=northeastern_ranked

# .env.development
MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017
DATABASE_NAME=northeastern_ranked_development
EOL

# Populate development database with test profiles
python -m app.scripts.seed_database

# Start the backend server
uvicorn app.main:app --reload --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000

The API documentation will be available at: http://localhost:8000/docs

3. Setting up the frontend

# Navigate to frontend directory
cd nuranked/frontend

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Create environment file
echo "NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=http://localhost:8000" > .env.local

# Start the development server
npm run dev

Development Workflow

1. Run both backend and frontend servers in seperate terminal windows
2. Make changes to the codebase
3. The servers will automatically reload when files are changed