🚀 SkillSwap - Peer-to-Peer Learning Platform

Developed by: Sara Abodeeb

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📖 Project Overview

SkillSwap is a web-based platform designed to enable skill exchange between university students using a time-based virtual currency system. It creates a collaborative ecosystem where university students can exchange skills (e.g., "I teach you Python, you teach me Graphic Design") using a unique time-bartering currency system called "SkillCoins."

🎥 Watch Project Demo

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🔍 Technical Highlights

• Designed and implemented a time-based virtual currency system (SkillCoins) with transaction logging to ensure data consistency.
• Modeled relational data with many-to-many relationships to support users, skills, and exchanges.
• Built a RESTful backend using MVC architecture with clear separation of concerns.
• Focused on correctness and edge-case handling in skill exchange and balance updates.

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✨ Key Features

🔐 Security & Auth

• Secure Authentication: Implemented user registration and login using bcrypt for password hashing and encryption.
• Session Management: Secure session handling for persistent user states.

💬 Real-Time Interaction

• Global Chat: A community discussion board built using AJAX/Fetch API with polling integration for near-real-time updates without refreshing the page.

📊 Logic & Data

• SkillCoin System: Custom logic to track user balances, handling transactions (debit/credit) based on teaching hours.
• Dynamic Dashboard: Real-time tracking of learning history and coin balance via MySQL queries.

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🛠️ Technical Architecture

Tech Stack

Component	Technology
Backend	Node.js, Express.js
Database	MySQL (Relational DB)
Frontend	HTML5, CSS3, Vanilla JavaScript (DOM Manipulation)
Architecture	MVC (Model-View-Controller) Pattern, RESTful API

🗄️ Database Schema (ERD)

The system uses a normalized relational database to ensure data integrity.

System Architecture (Use Case)

• Users Table: Stores credentials and SkillCoin balance.
• Transactions Table: Logs every skill exchange with timestamps.
• Messages Table: Stores chat history linked to users.

🔌 API Endpoints (Examples)

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/auth/register	Register a new student
POST	/api/auth/login	Authenticate user
GET	/api/dashboard	Fetch user stats & coin balance
GET	/api/chat	Retrieve latest community messages

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## 💻 How to Run Locally

1. **Clone the repository**
   ```bash
   git clone [https://github.com/Saraabodeeb/SkillSwap.git](https://github.com/Saraabodeeb/SkillSwap.git)
   cd SkillSwap

2. Install Dependencies

npm install

3. Database Setup

• Create a MySQL database named skillswap_db.
• Import the schema.sql file located in the /database folder.
• Configure your database credentials in db.js or .env file.

4. Start the Server

node server.js

5. Access the App Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser.

6. Environmental Variables: "Create a .env file in the root directory based on .env.example to secure your database credentials."

Security Note: "This project uses dotenv to manage configuration and ensure that sensitive information is never pushed to the repository."

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🚀 Potential Extensions

• Replacing polling with WebSockets (Socket.io) for real-time messaging.
• Introducing JWT-based authentication for stateless session management.
• Adding a reputation system to evaluate skill exchanges.