Finder

Custom Tinder-like dating app (course project). See docs/PHASES.md for the phase breakdown.

Course-oriented database write-up: docs/DATABASE_COURSE_DESCRIPTION.md.

Quick start

Prerequisites: Docker Desktop, Python 3.11+.

1. Environment

Copy .env.example to .env at the repo root (same folder as docker-compose.yml):

cp .env.example .env   # Mac/Linux
copy .env.example .env # Windows

Both DATABASE_URL and SECRET_KEY are required — auth returns 500 without SECRET_KEY.

2. Start PostgreSQL

docker compose up -d

3. Install backend dependencies

cd backend
python -m venv .venv

# Mac/Linux
source .venv/bin/activate
# Windows
.venv\Scripts\activate

pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Apply migrations

# from backend/ with venv active
alembic upgrade head

5. Seed fake data

# Mac/Linux
python ../db/seeds/seed.py
# Windows
python ..\db\seeds\seed.py

6. Start the backend server

# from backend/ with venv active
uvicorn app.main:app --reload

API is now running at http://localhost:8000.
Interactive docs (Swagger UI): http://localhost:8000/docs

7. Install frontend dependencies

cd frontend
npm install

8. Start the frontend dev server

# from frontend/
npm run dev

App is now running at http://localhost:5173.

---

Viewing the database

Use TablePlus (recommended, free tier sufficient) or DBeaver:

Field	Value
Host	localhost
Port	5432
User	finder
Password	finder
Database	finder

---

Smoke check (Phase A)

# from backend/ with venv active
python scripts/verify_phase_a.py

---

Layout

Path	Purpose
docker-compose.yml	Local Postgres 16
backend/app/main.py	FastAPI entry point
backend/app/models.py	SQLAlchemy models
backend/app/routers/	Route handlers (auth, profiles, photos, discovery, swipes, matches, messages, stats)
backend/static/photos/	Uploaded profile photos served at /static/photos/
frontend/	React + Vite + TypeScript + Tailwind CSS SPA
backend/alembic/	Schema migrations
db/schema.dbml	DBML for dbdiagram.io
db/seeds/seed.py	Faker seed script

---

Reset database

Use after pulling schema changes or to start fresh:

docker compose down -v
docker compose up -d
cd backend
alembic upgrade head
python ../db/seeds/seed.py  # Mac/Linux