CIMS - College Information Management System

CIMS is a full-stack web application designed to streamline communication and information management within a college or university. It provides distinct portals for students and administrators, each with features tailored to their roles.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Tech Stack
• Project Structure
• Getting Started
  • Prerequisites
  • Backend Setup
  • Frontend Setup
• API Endpoints

Features

Student Portal

• Authentication: Secure registration and login for students.
• Course Enrollment: View and manage enrolled courses.
• Fee Payment: A dummy portal to simulate fee payment.
• Notice Board: View notices published by the admin.

Admin Portal

• Authentication: Secure login for administrators.
• Student Approval: Admins can approve or reject new student registrations.
• Manage Students: View and manage student information.
• Manage Courses: Add, update, and delete courses.
• Publish Notices: Create and publish notices for students.

Tech Stack

Frontend

• Framework: Next.js
• UI Library: React
• Styling: Tailwind CSS with shadcn/ui for components.
• Icons: Lucide React
• Theming: next-themes for light/dark mode.
• Linting: ESLint
• Language: TypeScript

Backend

• Framework: Express.js
• Database: MongoDB with Mongoose ODM.
• Authentication: JSON Web Tokens (JWT) for secure authentication.
• Password Hashing: bcrypt for hashing passwords.
• Middleware: CORS, cookie-parser.
• Development: Nodemon for automatic server restarts.

Project Structure

The project is organized into two main directories:

/
├── backend/         # Contains the Node.js/Express.js API
└── frontend/        # Contains the Next.js client application

Getting Started

Follow these instructions to get a copy of the project up and running on your local machine.

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18.x or later recommended)
• npm, yarn, or pnpm
• MongoDB (ensure it's running locally or provide a connection string in a .env file in the backend directory).

Backend Setup

1. Navigate to the backend directory:

   cd backend

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Create a .env file in the backend directory and add the following environment variables:

   MONGO_URI=<your_mongodb_connection_string>
   JWT_SECRET=<your_jwt_secret>
   

4. Run the server:

   npm start

   The API will be running at http://localhost:5000.

Frontend Setup

1. Navigate to the frontend directory:

   cd frontend

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Run the development server:

   npm run dev

4. Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:3000.

API Endpoints

The backend provides the following API endpoints, all prefixed with /api.

Admin Routes (/admin)

• POST /login: Login for administrators.

• GET /students: Get a list of all students. (Admin only)

• GET /students/:id: Get a single student by ID. (Admin only)

• PATCH /students/:id: Update a student's information. (Admin only)

• DELETE /students/:id: Delete a student. (Admin only)

• PATCH /students/:id/approve: Approve a student's registration. (Admin only)

• DELETE /students/:id/reject: Reject a student's registration. (Admin only)

• GET /me: Get the profile of the currently logged-in admin. (Admin only)

• GET /logout: Logout the currently logged-in admin. (Admin only)

Course Routes (/courses)

• GET /: Get a list of all courses.

• GET /:id: Get a single course by ID. (Admin only)

• POST /add: Add a new course. (Admin only)

• PUT /update/:id: Update a course by ID. (Admin only)

• DELETE /delete/:id: Delete a course by ID. (Admin only)

Notice Routes (/notices)

• GET /: Get a list of all notices.

• POST /add: Add a new notice. (Admin only)

• PUT /update/:id: Update a notice by ID. (Admin only)

• DELETE /delete/:id: Delete a notice by ID. (Admin only)

Student Routes (/students)

• POST /register: Register a new student.

• POST /login: Login for students.

• GET /me: Get the profile of the currently logged-in student. (Student or Admin)

• PATCH /fees: Update the fee status for the currently logged-in student. (Student only)

• GET /logout: Logout the currently logged-in user (student or admin).