H@ckollab

A modern full-stack platform for students to discover, connect, and collaborate on hackathons and project-based learning. H@ckollab streamlines team formation, project posting, and skill-based matchmaking, empowering real teams to build and launch together.

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🚀 Overview

H@ckollab is a collaboration hub designed for hackathons and student projects. It enables users to:

• Create rich developer profiles
• Find and join projects or hackathons
• Build teams based on skills and interests
• Track collaboration status and manage invites

Built with React (frontend), Node.js/Express (backend), Prisma ORM, and PostgreSQL. Authentication is powered by Firebase Auth for secure, scalable sign-in.

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🔥 Key Features

• 🔐 Secure Authentication: Sign up and log in with Firebase Auth (Google, email, etc.)
• 🧑‍💻 Developer Profiles: Showcase skills, experience, social links, and featured projects
• 🔍 Explore & Filter: Search users by tech stack, experience, or availability
• 📢 Post & Join Projects: Start new projects or join existing ones, specify tech and roles needed
• 🤝 Team Invites: Invite users to collaborate, accept/decline invites, and track team status
• 📊 Dashboard: View your projects, collaborations, and pending invites in one place
• 📝 Profile Editing: Update your info, skills, and project highlights anytime
• 🌐 Hackathon Directory: Browse and join real hackathons (if enabled)

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🧭 User Flow

1. Sign Up / Log In
   • Authenticate securely with Firebase Auth
2. Create Your Profile
   • Fill out your skills, academic info, interests, and social links
   • Save to unlock full platform features
3. Explore Users & Projects
   • Use filters to find collaborators or projects matching your interests
4. Post a Project or Hackathon
   • Describe your idea, required tech, and open roles
5. Build Your Team
   • Invite users to join, or accept invites from others
   • Track team size and status on your dashboard
6. Collaborate & Launch
   • Work together, update project status, and showcase your work

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🛠️ Tech Stack

Frontend:

• React.js
• React Router DOM
• Tailwind CSS
• Firebase Auth
• React Context API

Backend:

• Node.js & Express.js
• Prisma ORM
• PostgreSQL
• Dotenv, CORS, JSON Middleware

DevOps & Tools:

• Git + GitHub
• Vercel (Frontend Hosting)
• Render/Railway (Backend Hosting)
• Neon/PostgreSQL Cloud or Local
• Prisma Studio (DB Viewer)

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🏁 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16+)
• npm or yarn
• PostgreSQL database (local/cloud)
• Firebase project & API keys
• Git

Installation

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/nst-sdc/-H-ckollab.git cd -H-ckollab

2. **Backend Setup**
   ```bash
cd backend
npm install

Create a .env file in backend/:

PORT=4000
NODE_ENV=development
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://username:password@localhost:5432/hackollab"
FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID=your_firebase_project_id
FIREBASE_CLIENT_EMAIL=your_firebase_client_email
FIREBASE_PRIVATE_KEY=your_firebase_private_key
FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:3000

3. Frontend Setup

cd ../frontend npm install

   Create a `.env` file in `frontend/`:
   ```env
REACT_APP_API_URL=http://localhost:4000
REACT_APP_FIREBASE_API_KEY=your_firebase_api_key
REACT_APP_FIREBASE_AUTH_DOMAIN=your_firebase_auth_domain
REACT_APP_FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID=your_firebase_project_id
REACT_APP_FIREBASE_STORAGE_BUCKET=your_firebase_storage_bucket
REACT_APP_FIREBASE_MESSAGING_SENDER_ID=your_firebase_messaging_sender_id
REACT_APP_FIREBASE_APP_ID=your_firebase_app_id

4. Database Setup
   • Create a PostgreSQL database named hackollab
   • Update DATABASE_URL in your backend .env
   • Run migrations:

cd backend npx prisma migrate dev

5. **Run the App**
   - Start backend:
   ```bash
cd backend
npm run dev

• Start frontend (in a new terminal):

cd frontend
npm start

• Visit:
  • Frontend: http://localhost:3000
  • Backend: http://localhost:4000

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👩‍⚖️ Judging & User Experience

• Fast Onboarding: New users can sign up and create a profile in minutes
• Intuitive Navigation: Modern, responsive UI with clear calls to action
• Real-Time Updates: Project/team status updates instantly across dashboard and explore
• Robust Error Handling: Friendly error messages and loading states
• Mobile-Ready: Fully responsive for all devices

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🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repo
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/your-feature
3. Commit and push: git commit -m 'Add feature' && git push origin feature/your-feature
4. Open a Pull Request

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📝 License

MIT License. See LICENSE for details.