Matcha 🍵

An AI-powered academic assistant designed specifically for UNCC students, helping them navigate their academic journey with personalized guidance and support.

🌟 Features

• AI-Powered Academic Assistant - Get personalized guidance and support for your academic journey
• Smart Calendar Integration - Sync with Google Calendar and manage your schedule efficiently
• Group Study Spaces - Create and join virtual study rooms with real-time chat and video calls
• User Discovery - Find study partners based on shared interests and courses
• Friend System - Add friends, send messages, and organize study sessions
• Task Management - Track assignments, deadlines, and events with smart reminders
• Virtual Parent Mode - Get caring advice with a touch of dad jokes and puns
• Time Analysis - Visualize and optimize your time management
• Scholarship Tracking - Find and manage scholarship opportunities
• Dark Mode - Comfortable viewing experience day and night

🚀 Getting Started

1. Prerequisites

   node >= 20.0.0
   npm >= 10.0.0

2. Installation

   # Clone the repository
   git clone https://github.com/Frenzyz/matcha.git
   
   # Install dependencies
   cd matcha
   npm install

3. Environment Setup Copy env.example.txt to .env and fill in your values:

   cp env.example.txt .env

   Required environment variables:

   VITE_SUPABASE_URL=https://your-project.supabase.co
   VITE_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=your_supabase_anon_key
   VITE_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your_google_client_id.apps.googleusercontent.com
   VITE_GROQ_API_KEY=your_groq_api_key
   VITE_WEBRTC_SERVER_URL=http://localhost:3001
   

4. Development

   # Start frontend only
   npm run dev
   
   # Start both frontend and WebRTC server (for group study features)
   npm run dev:full

5. Build

   npm run build

🚀 Deployment

Frontend Deployment (Netlify/Vercel/GitHub Pages)

The frontend can be deployed to any static hosting service:

1. Build the project:

   npm run build

2. Deploy the dist folder to your hosting service

3. Set environment variables in your hosting service dashboard:

   VITE_SUPABASE_URL=your_supabase_url
   VITE_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=your_supabase_key  
   VITE_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your_google_client_id
   VITE_GROQ_API_KEY=your_groq_api_key
   VITE_WEBRTC_SERVER_URL=https://your-webrtc-server.com
   

WebRTC Server Deployment (Required for Group Study Features)

The WebRTC signaling server must be deployed separately. Multiple FREE options available!

🆓 FREE Options (Recommended):

1. Render.com (FREE) - No credit card required
2. Fly.io (FREE) - Better performance, requires credit card but won't charge
3. Oracle Cloud (FREE) - Always free tier with generous limits
4. Self-hosted Docker - Complete control, any VPS or local server

💰 Cheap Self-Hosted ($2-5/month):

1. Contabo, Hetzner, DigitalOcean - Ultra-cheap VPS providers
2. Docker deployment on any server

📖 Complete Setup Guide:

See FREE-DEPLOYMENT-GUIDE.md for detailed step-by-step instructions for all free and self-hosted options.

Complete Deployment Checklist

• Deploy WebRTC server using FREE option (Render.com/Fly.io/Docker/VPS)
• Get WebRTC server URL (e.g., https://matcha-webrtc.onrender.com)
• Set VITE_WEBRTC_SERVER_URL in Netlify environment variables
• Deploy frontend to Netlify with all environment variables
• Test group study features in production
• Verify real-time chat and video calls work across different devices

🛠️ Technology Stack

• Frontend

  • React 18
  • TypeScript
  • Tailwind CSS
  • Vite
  • Lucide Icons

• Backend & Database

  • Supabase
  • PostgreSQL
  • Socket.io (Real-time messaging)
  • Express.js (WebRTC signaling server)

• Real-time Communication

  • PeerJS (WebRTC for video calls)
  • Socket.io (Real-time chat)
  • WebRTC (Peer-to-peer communication)

• AI/ML

  • Groq API
  • Google Calendar API

• Authentication

  • Supabase Auth
  • Google OAuth

📱 Key Features

• Smart Calendar

  • Google Calendar integration
  • Event management
  • Task tracking
  • Time analysis

• AI Assistant

  • Academic guidance
  • Virtual parent mode
  • Personalized recommendations
  • Study tips

• Group Study Framework

  • Virtual study rooms with video calls
  • Real-time chat with message persistence
  • User discovery and friend system
  • Profile visibility settings
  • Smart study partner matching

• Scholarship Management

  • Scholarship discovery
  • Application tracking
  • Deadline management
  • Requirements tracking

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• UNCC for supporting student innovation
• The open-source community
• All contributors and testers

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Made with 💚 for UNCC Students