🚀 Collaborative Coding Platform

This repository hosts the full-stack application for a real-time, collaborative coding platform designed to help users practice coding challenges together. It utilizes a microservices architecture for scalability and leverages external APIs for AI-powered assistance and code execution.

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🏗️ Architecture Overview

The platform is structured around five core backend microservices, supported by a dedicated frontend, an identity provider, and persistent data stores.

flowchart TB
    %% ==== MAIN COMPONENTS ====
    FE[Frontend]
    AUTH0[Auth0 Identity Provider]
    BACKEND[[Backend Microservices]]
    EXTERNAL[[External APIs]]
    DB[(Databases)]
    %% ==== FLOWS ====
    FE -- "Login / Auth" --> AUTH0
    FE -- "Requests with Auth Token" --> BACKEND
    BACKEND -- "Verify Token" --> AUTH0
    BACKEND -- "Store & Retrieve Data" --> DB
    BACKEND -. "AI & Code Execution" .-> EXTERNAL
    %% ==== STYLES ====
    classDef client fill:#B5EAEA,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px;
    classDef auth fill:#FFBCBC,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px;
    classDef backend fill:#FFF3B0,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px;
    classDef external fill:#D3F8E2,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px;
    classDef db fill:#A0E7E5,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px;
    class FE client
    class AUTH0 auth
    class BACKEND backend
    class EXTERNAL external
    class DB db

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Key Components

• Frontend (FE): The user interface (Web/Mobile) where users access the platform, join rooms, and write code.
• Auth0 Identity Provider: Handles all user authentication and authorization (Login/Signup).
• Backend Microservices: A collection of specialized services managing core business logic (e.g., matching, collaboration, execution).
• External APIs: Integrations with third-party services like Gemini for AI chat/suggestions and Judge0 for secure code execution.
• Persistence Layer (DB): Dedicated data stores for each service to ensure loose coupling and specialized data handling.

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💻 Microservices and Project Structure

The project is divided into several main directories, each containing its own specialized README.md for setup, configuration, and detailed functionality.

🌐 Frontend

Directory	Service	Description
frontend/	Frontend	The client-side application (Web/Mobile) for user interaction.
		Detailed Frontend README

🛠️ Backend Services

Directory	Service	Description
matching_service/	Matching Service	Handles user pairing, matchmaking logic, and room creation.
		Detailed Matching Service README
collaboration-service/	Collaboration Service	Manages real-time code editing, chat, and room state via WebSockets.
		Detailed Collaboration Service README
question_service/	Question Service	Manages the repository and retrieval of coding challenges (Question Bank).
		Detailed Question Service README
execution-service/	Execution Service	Handles code submission, interfacing with the Judge0 API for running user code.
		Detailed Execution Service README
history-service/	History Service	Logs and stores completed collaboration sessions, code runs, and user activity.
		Detailed History Service README

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🚀 Getting Started

Follow these steps to get the entire system running locally.

1. Prerequisites

• Docker and Docker Compose
• Node.js (for Frontend development)
• Recommended Browser: Google Chrome (Stable Version) for the best frontend experience and WebSockets support.
• External API Keys:
  • Auth0 Domain and Client IDs
  • Gemini API Key (for AI features)
  • Judge0 API Endpoint/Key (if using a self-hosted instance)

2. Configuration

Set up environment variables for each service. Refer to the respective README.md files for exact .env file requirements.

3. Running with Docker Compose

For a fast, complete setup, use Docker Compose to spin up all services and databases:

docker compose up --build -d

To stop running all containers:

docker compose down