IITKart

IITKart is a comprehensive campus e-commerce and delivery platform designed to connect Customers, Vendors, and Riders (Delivery Partners) within the campus ecosystem. It features real-time order tracking, email OTP verification, and a dedicated Super Admin dashboard.

Tech Stack

• Frontend: React, Vite, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS
• Backend: Node.js, Express.js, TypeScript
• Database: PostgreSQL with Prisma ORM
• Authentication: JWT & Email OTP Verification (Nodemailer)

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Local Setup & Installation Guide

Follow these steps to get the project running locally on your system.

1. Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16 or higher)
• PostgreSQL (Running locally or via a cloud provider like Supabase/Neon)
• Git

2. Clone the Repository

git clone <repository-url>
cd IITKart

3. Backend Setup

Navigate to the backend directory:

cd Backend1
npm install

Step 3.1: Database Creation

Assuming you have PostgreSQL installed natively on your system, you can instantly create the required database by logging into the PostgreSQL terminal.

Open your system terminal and log into the Postgres prompt:

psql postgres

Once inside the postgres=# prompt, paste and execute these specific SQL commands:

CREATE USER postgres WITH PASSWORD 'postgres';
CREATE DATABASE iitkart;
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE iitkart TO postgres;
\q

Note: Depending on your OS schema, you might need to use sudo -u postgres psql to access the terminal initially. If you don't wish to install Postgres locally, a free cloud database URI from Neon.tech acts identically.

Step 3.2: Environment Variables

Create a .env file inside the Backend1 directory and add the following:

# Server
PORT=5001
NODE_ENV="development"

# Database (From Step 3.1)
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/iitkart?schema=public"

# Authentication
JWT_SECRET="your-super-secret-jwt-key-at-least-64-chars"
JWT_EXPIRES_IN="7d"
REFRESH_TOKEN_SECRET="your-super-secret-refresh-token-key-at-least-32-chars"
REFRESH_TOKEN_EXPIRES_IN="30d"

#Server
FRONTEND_URL="http://localhost:5173"

# Razorpay (For Payment Gateway Testing)
RAZORPAY_KEY_ID="rzp_test_SVxBVQr7WSDn2H"
RAZORPAY_KEY_SECRET="mLgswSvPia09zuHiYctH3VCb"

# Email / OTP Verification (Nodemailer)
SMTP_HOST="smtp.gmail.com"
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USER="your-email@gmail.com"
SMTP_PASS="your-16-letter-google-app-password"
FROM_EMAIL="your-email@gmail.com"

Note: To test the actual Email OTP flow yourself, you must provide a valid Gmail App Password in SMTP_PASS securely.

Step 3.3: Database Initialization

Push the Prisma schema to your newly created PostgreSQL database to instantly generate all the necessary tables:

npx prisma db push

Step 3.4: Start the Backend

npm run dev

The backend will run on http://localhost:5001. Upon startup, it automatically seeds the database with a default Super Admin account.

4. Frontend Setup

Step 4.1: Environment Variables (Frontend)

Create a .env file inside the frontend directory and add the following:

VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:5001/api

Open a new terminal window and navigate to the frontend directory:

cd frontend
npm install

Start the frontend:

npm run dev

The frontend will run on http://localhost:5173.

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Testing Guide

Here is how you can completely test the platform's core features:

1. Super Admin Dashboard Validation

The platform automatically provisions a Super Admin account on backend startup. You do not need to manually seed the database.

• Go to: http://localhost:5173/
• Email: admin@iitk.ac.in
• Password: admin@123

This dashboard allows you to view system analytics, monitor all users, vendors, and manage banned accounts.

2. Email OTP Registration Flow

We have implemented a secure Email OTP verification system.

1. Click Create Account on the login page.
2. Register as a Customer, Vendor, or Rider.
3. You will be redirected to an OTP screen. An email containing a 6-digit OTP will be sent to the registered email address.
4. Enter the OTP to successfully finalize the account creation and log in.

3. Forgot Password Flow

1. Click Forgot Password? on the login screen.
2. Enter your registered email.
3. Retrieve the OTP from your email inbox and enter it.
4. Set a new password and try logging in inside the app.

4. Core Role Workflows

• Customer: Can browse products, add items to the cart, place orders, and raise complaints.
• Vendor: Has a dedicated dashboard to manage products, view incoming orders, update order status (Accepted -> Ready), and view delivery issues raised by riders.
• Rider (Courier): Can view available orders ready for pickup, accept delivery jobs, update delivery status, and flag issues (like "Customer Unavailable").

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Troubleshooting

• Address already in use (EADDRINUSE): If you get a port 5001 error, make sure no other background node processes are running.
• Email OTPs not sending: Ensure your Google Account has 2-Step Verification enabled and you have generated a strict "App Password" (16 characters) for your .env file, as normal Gmail passwords will be rejected by Google's SMTP servers.