Barterly - Skill Bartering Platform

Barterly is a modern, full-stack peer-to-peer skill bartering platform where users can exchange skills without monetary transactions. Whether you want to learn a new language, master graphic design, or get fitness coaching, Barterly connects you with others who have complementary skills.

🌐 Live Deployment

Frontend: https://barterly-web.vercel.app
Backend API: https://barterly-api-f0fhamd9bzbggae7.centralindia-01.azurewebsites.net
Health Check: https://barterly-api-f0fhamd9bzbggae7.centralindia-01.azurewebsites.net/health

🎯 Platform Overview

Barterly enables skill exchange through an intuitive marketplace where users can:

Post Skills: Share skills you want to offer with detailed descriptions and availability
Browse Skills: Discover skills offered by other users with advanced filtering
Barter Requests: Send and manage skill exchange requests with counter-offers
Real-time Chat: Communicate with other barterers via Socket.io powered messaging
Reviews & Ratings: Build trust through user reviews and ratings
Admin Dashboard: Manage skills, users, reports, and platform moderation
Notifications: Stay updated on barter requests, messages, and reviews
Bookmarks: Save interesting skills for later

🏗️ Project Structure

barterly/
├── barterly-backend/          # Express.js REST API
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── config/            # Database, Redis, RabbitMQ, Metrics configs
│   │   ├── controllers/       # Request handlers for all routes
│   │   ├── models/            # MongoDB Mongoose schemas
│   │   ├── routes/            # API route definitions
│   │   ├── services/          # Business logic layer
│   │   ├── middlewares/       # Auth, validation, error handling
│   │   ├── validations/       # Zod validation schemas
│   │   ├── utils/             # JWT, email, API response utilities
│   │   └── workers/           # Background job processors
│   ├── scripts/               # Database seeding scripts
│   └── server.js              # Entry point
│
├── barterly-frontend/         # React + Vite SPA
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── pages/             # Page components (auth, user, admin)
│   │   ├── components/        # Reusable UI components
│   │   ├── services/          # API client services
│   │   ├── assets/            # Images, icons, styles
│   │   └── App.jsx            # Main app component
│   └── vite.config.js         # Vite configuration
│
└── README.md                  # This file

🛠️ Tech Stack

Backend

Runtime: Node.js v18+
Framework: Express.js v5
Database: MongoDB with Mongoose
Authentication: JWT (Access & Refresh tokens)
Real-time Communication: Socket.io
Caching: Redis (Upstash)
Message Queue: RabbitMQ (CloudAMQP)
File Upload: Cloudinary
Email: Nodemailer
Monitoring: Prometheus + Grafana
Security: Helmet, CORS, express-rate-limit, bcrypt, NoSQL injection protection
Validation: Zod
Password Hashing: bcrypt

Frontend

Framework: React 19
Build Tool: Vite 7
Styling: Tailwind CSS
HTTP Client: Axios
Routing: React Router v7
Real-time Chat: Socket.io-client
UI Forms: Tailwind CSS Forms

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

Node.js: v18 or higher
npm or yarn: Latest version
MongoDB: Atlas account or local instance
Redis: Cloud instance (e.g., Upstash)
RabbitMQ: Cloud instance (e.g., CloudAMQP)
Cloudinary: Account for image uploads (optional)
Gmail: For sending emails (with App Password)

Installation

Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/parvaggarwal01/barterly.git
cd barterly

Backend Setup

cd barterly-backend
npm install

Create .env file in barterly-backend/:

# Server
NODE_ENV=development
PORT=3000

# MongoDB
MONGODB_URI=mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster.mongodb.net/barterly

# JWT
JWT_ACCESS_SECRET=your_access_secret
JWT_REFRESH_SECRET=your_refresh_secret
JWT_ACCESS_EXPIRE=15m
JWT_REFRESH_EXPIRE=7d

# Email (Gmail with App Password)
SMTP_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USER=your_email@gmail.com
SMTP_PASS=your_app_password

# Cloudinary
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloud_name
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your_api_key
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your_api_secret

# Frontend URL
FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:5173

# Reverse proxy
TRUST_PROXY=1

# Redis
REDIS_URL=rediss://default:password@host:port

# RabbitMQ
CLOUDAMQP_URL=amqps://username:password@host/vhost
RABBITMQ_URL=amqp://localhost

Frontend Setup

cd ../barterly-frontend
npm install

Create .env file in barterly-frontend/:

VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:3000

Running the Application

Terminal 1 - Backend

cd barterly-backend
npm run dev

Backend runs on: http://localhost:3000

Terminal 2 - Frontend

cd barterly-frontend
npm run dev

Frontend runs on: http://localhost:5173

Seed Initial Data (Optional)

cd barterly-backend

# Seed admin user
npm run seed:admin

# Seed skill categories
npm run seed:categories

📋 Features

User Features

Authentication & Profile

✅ User registration with email verification (OTP-based)
✅ Login/Logout with JWT tokens
✅ Password reset flow
✅ User profile management
✅ Avatar upload via Cloudinary
✅ Bio and location information

Skill Management

✅ Post skills with title, description, category, tags
✅ Set skill level (Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced)
✅ Define delivery mode (Online/In-Person/Both)
✅ Availability information
✅ Skill verification system (admin approval)
✅ Activate/deactivate skills
✅ View all offered and wanted skills

Skill Browsing & Discovery

✅ Search skills by keywords
✅ Filter by category, level, delivery mode
✅ Sort by date, relevance, ratings
✅ View verified skills only option
✅ Pagination support
✅ Detailed skill view with user info

Bartering System

✅ Send barter requests with messages
✅ Counter-offer capability
✅ Accept/Reject requests
✅ Complete barter transactions
✅ View barter request history
✅ Real-time barter status updates

Communication

✅ Real-time chat via Socket.io
✅ Message history
✅ User presence indicators
✅ Typing indicators

Reviews & Trust

✅ Leave reviews after completed bartering
✅ Star ratings (1-5)
✅ User reputation system
✅ Review moderation

Additional Features

✅ Bookmark interesting skills
✅ Report inappropriate content
✅ Receive notifications
✅ View transaction history

Admin Features

Dashboard

📊 Platform statistics and metrics
📈 User growth charts
💬 Activity monitoring

Content Moderation

✅ Approve/Reject skills
✅ View all skills
✅ Manage categories
✅ Handle user reports
✅ View reported skills/users

User Management

✅ View all users
✅ Search users
✅ View user details
✅ Ban/Unban users (if implemented)

System Monitoring

✅ Prometheus metrics endpoint
✅ Health checks

📚 API Documentation

Core Endpoints

Authentication

POST /api/auth/register - User registration
POST /api/auth/login - User login
POST /api/auth/verify-email - Verify email with OTP
POST /api/auth/resend-otp - Resend OTP
POST /api/auth/forgot-password - Password reset request
POST /api/auth/reset-password - Reset password
POST /api/auth/refresh-token - Refresh access token
POST /api/auth/logout - Logout user

Skills

GET /api/skills - Get all skills (with filters)
GET /api/skills/:id - Get skill details
POST /api/skills - Create a new skill
PUT /api/skills/:id - Update skill
DELETE /api/skills/:id - Delete skill

Users

GET /api/users/profile - Get current user profile
PUT /api/users/profile - Update user profile
GET /api/users/:id - Get user profile by ID
PUT /api/users/avatar - Upload avatar

Barter Requests

GET /api/barter - Get user's barter requests
POST /api/barter - Create barter request
PUT /api/barter/:id - Update barter request
POST /api/barter/:id/counter-offer - Send counter offer

Chat & Messaging

Socket.io events for real-time messaging
GET /api/chat/conversations - Get user conversations
GET /api/chat/messages/:conversationId - Get messages

Admin

GET /api/admin/dashboard - Dashboard statistics
GET /api/admin/skills - All skills with approval status
PUT /api/admin/skills/:id/verify - Approve/Reject skill
GET /api/admin/reports - All reported content
GET /api/admin/users - All users

Monitoring

GET /metrics - Prometheus metrics endpoint

🔐 Security Features

JWT Authentication: Secure token-based authentication
Rate Limiting: Protection against brute force attacks
CORS: Cross-origin request security
Helmet: HTTP security headers
NoSQL Injection Protection: Custom sanitization middleware
HPP: HTTP Parameter Pollution protection
Password Hashing: bcrypt with salt rounds
Email Verification: OTP-based verification
Role-Based Access Control: Admin and user roles

📊 Architecture

Request Flow

Client Request
    ↓
Rate Limiter (IP-based)
    ↓
Auth Middleware (JWT verification)
    ↓
Validation Middleware (Zod schemas)
    ↓
Request Handler (Controller)
    ↓
Service Layer (Business Logic)
    ↓
Database Layer (MongoDB)
    ↓
Response

Real-time Communication

Client Socket.io Connection
    ↓
Socket Server (Node.js + Socket.io)
    ↓
Message Broadcast
    ↓
Connected Clients

Background Jobs

Email Queue (RabbitMQ)
    ↓
Email Worker Process
    ↓
Nodemailer → SMTP Server
    ↓
User Inbox

🧪 Testing

Backend

cd barterly-backend
npm test

The backend uses Node.js built-in test runner for isolated tests that do not require MongoDB, Redis, RabbitMQ, SMTP, or Cloudinary. Current coverage includes authentication validation schemas.

Frontend

cd barterly-frontend
npm run lint
npm run build

Planned

Unit tests for services
Integration tests for API endpoints
E2E tests for user flows

🚢 Deployment

Backend Deployment (Node.js)

Recommended: Render, Railway, Azure App Service, or Heroku
Requires: MongoDB, Redis, RabbitMQ cloud instances
Environment variables setup required

Frontend Deployment (React)

Recommended: Vercel, Netlify, or Azure Static Web Apps
Build: npm run build
Output: dist/ directory

Example: Azure Deployment

# Backend deployment configuration in server.js
# Frontend deployment through Vercel or Azure Static Web Apps

📝 Environment Variables

Backend (.env)

Variable	Description	Example
`NODE_ENV`	Environment	development \| production
`PORT`	Server port	3000
`MONGODB_URI`	MongoDB connection	mongodb+srv://...
`JWT_ACCESS_SECRET`	JWT secret key	your_secret_key
`JWT_ACCESS_EXPIRE`	Token expiry	15m
`SMTP_USER`	Email address	your@gmail.com
`FRONTEND_URL`	Frontend URL	http://localhost:5173
`TRUST_PROXY`	Trusted proxy hops	1
`CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME`	Cloudinary account	your_cloud_name
`REDIS_URL`	Redis connection	rediss://...
`CLOUDAMQP_URL`	RabbitMQ connection	amqps://...

Frontend (.env)

Variable	Description	Example
`VITE_API_URL`	Backend API URL	http://localhost:3000

🔄 Git Workflow

# Create feature branch
git checkout -b feature/feature-name

# Make changes and commit
git add .
git commit -m "feat: add feature description"

# Push to remote
git push origin feature/feature-name

# Create Pull Request on GitHub

📞 Support & Contribution

Contributing

Please read the contribution docs before opening an issue or pull request:

Recommended workflow:

Fork the repository.
Pick an assigned issue or request assignment on an open issue.
Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/feature-name).
Make focused changes and run the relevant checks.
Push your branch and open a pull request.

Code Style

Use consistent naming conventions (camelCase for JavaScript)
Follow ESLint configuration
Write meaningful commit messages
Add comments for complex logic

Issues

Check existing issues before creating new ones
Provide detailed descriptions
Include error messages and logs
Mention your environment (OS, Node version, etc.)

📖 Directory Details

Backend Directories

Directory	Purpose
`config/`	Database, Redis, RabbitMQ, and other configuration files
`controllers/`	HTTP request handlers
`models/`	MongoDB schema definitions
`routes/`	API route definitions
`services/`	Business logic and database operations
`middlewares/`	Express middleware functions
`validations/`	Zod validation schemas
`utils/`	Helper utilities (JWT, email, etc.)
`workers/`	Background job processors
`scripts/`	Database seeding and utility scripts

Frontend Directories

Directory	Purpose
`pages/`	Full page components
`components/`	Reusable UI components
`services/`	API client services
`assets/`	Images, icons, and static files

🔍 Key Files

Backend

server.js - Express server entry point
src/app.js - Express app configuration
src/models/User.model.js - User schema
src/models/Skill.model.js - Skill schema
src/models/BarterRequest.model.js - Barter request schema
src/config/db.js - MongoDB connection
src/config/socket.js - Socket.io configuration

Frontend

src/App.jsx - Main app component with routing
src/main.jsx - React entry point
vite.config.js - Vite build configuration

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

MongoDB Connection Error

Verify MONGODB_URI in .env
Check MongoDB Atlas whitelist includes your IP
Ensure username/password are URL encoded

Email Not Sending

Enable Gmail 2FA
Generate App Password (not regular password)
Check SMTP_USER and SMTP_PASS are correct

Socket.io Connection Failed

Verify frontend and backend are running
Check CORS configuration in src/app.js
Ensure FRONTEND_URL matches frontend domain

Redis Connection Error

Verify REDIS_URL format
Check Redis cloud service is running
Test connection string separately

📄 License

This project is licensed under the ISC License - see LICENSE for details.

👥 Team

Developer: Parva Agarwal

🎉 Acknowledgments

Express.js community
MongoDB documentation
Socket.io real-time capabilities
Tailwind CSS for beautiful UI
React ecosystem

📞 Contact

For questions or feedback, please open an issue on GitHub or reach out directly.

Last Updated: May 24, 2026

🗺️ Roadmap

Current Phase

✅ Authentication system ✅ Skill posting and browsing ✅ Barter request system ✅ Real-time chat ✅ Admin dashboard

Planned Features

🔄 Video verification for skills 🔄 Payment system for premium features 🔄 Mobile app (React Native) 🔄 Advanced analytics 🔄 Skill completion certificates 🔄 Community forums 🔄 Recommendation engine

Happy Bartering! 🤝

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 92 Commits
.github		.github
barterly-backend		barterly-backend
barterly-frontend		barterly-frontend
CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md		CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md

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Barterly - Skill Bartering Platform

🌐 Live Deployment

🎯 Platform Overview

🏗️ Project Structure

🛠️ Tech Stack

Backend

Frontend

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

Installation

Running the Application

Seed Initial Data (Optional)

📋 Features

User Features

Authentication & Profile

Skill Management

Skill Browsing & Discovery

Bartering System

Communication

Reviews & Trust

Additional Features

Admin Features

Dashboard

Content Moderation

User Management

System Monitoring

📚 API Documentation

Core Endpoints

Authentication

Skills

Users

Barter Requests

Chat & Messaging

Admin

Monitoring

🔐 Security Features

📊 Architecture

Request Flow

Real-time Communication

Background Jobs

🧪 Testing

Backend

Frontend

Planned

🚢 Deployment

Backend Deployment (Node.js)

Frontend Deployment (React)

Example: Azure Deployment

📝 Environment Variables

Backend (.env)

Frontend (.env)

🔄 Git Workflow

📞 Support & Contribution

Contributing

Code Style

Issues

📖 Directory Details

Backend Directories

Frontend Directories

🔍 Key Files

Backend

Frontend

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

📄 License

👥 Team

🎉 Acknowledgments

📞 Contact

🗺️ Roadmap

Current Phase

Planned Features

About

Topics

Resources

Code of conduct

Contributing