Placement Platform

A scalable resume parsing and placement platform for colleges, built with FastAPI (Backend) and Next.js (Frontend).

Prerequisites

• Node.js: v18 or higher
• Python: v3.10 or higher
• PostgreSQL: v15 or higher (If running manually without Docker)
• Docker & Docker Compose (Optional, but recommended for easy setup)

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Method 1: Quick Start with Docker (Recommended)

The easiest way to get the entire stack (Database, Backend API, Frontend) running is via Docker Compose.

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/Bshashank123/placement-platform.git
   cd placement-platform

2. Start the containers:

   docker-compose up --build -d

3. Initialize the database (Run migrations & seed script):

   docker exec -it placement-backend alembic upgrade head
   docker exec -it placement-backend python scripts/seed.py

4. Access the application:

   • Frontend: http://localhost:3000
   • Backend API Docs: http://localhost:8000/docs

   (Note: The seed script will create some default accounts. Check the backend logs or seed.py for demo credentials).

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Method 2: Manual Local Setup

If you prefer to run the application locally without Docker, follow these steps.

1. Set up the PostgreSQL Database

Make sure PostgreSQL is running on your machine, then create the database:

CREATE DATABASE placement_platform;

2. Set up the Backend (FastAPI)

1. Open a terminal and navigate to the backend folder:

   cd backend

2. Create and activate a Python virtual environment:

   # Windows
   python -m venv venv
   venv\Scripts\activate
   
   # Mac/Linux
   python3 -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate

3. Install the dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Configure your environment variables: Copy .env.example to .env and adjust the DATABASE_URL if your PostgreSQL username/password is different.

   cp .env.example .env

5. Run database migrations and seed default data:

   alembic upgrade head
   python scripts/seed.py

6. Start the backend server:

   uvicorn app.main:app --reload

   The backend API will now be running at http://localhost:8000.

3. Set up the Frontend (Next.js)

1. Open a new terminal and navigate to the frontend folder:

   cd frontend

2. Install the Node modules:

   npm install

3. Configure your environment variables: Copy .env.example to .env.local to configure the API URL.

   cp .env.example .env.local

4. Start the frontend development server:

   npm run dev

   The frontend UI will now be running at http://localhost:3000.

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Troubleshooting

• Database Connection Errors: Ensure your PostgreSQL server is running and the credentials in backend/.env match your local DB setup.
• CORS Errors: Make sure FRONTEND_URL in backend/.env matches exactly where your frontend is running (e.g., http://localhost:3000 without a trailing slash).
• Missing Files: The repository ignores .env files and node_modules by design. Always make sure to duplicate the .env.example files and run npm install.