LoveSignal

LoveSignal is a location-based dating app built for CMDF 2026. Discover people nearby, swipe to connect, and see where your matches were when you both liked each other — on a live map with a time-limited window to meet up.

Features

• Discover feed — Browse nearby profiles sorted by distance. Swipe right to match or left to pass.
• Match map — When you match with someone, their last-known location appears on a Google Map. Matches expire after 30 minutes, encouraging real-world meetups.
• Mutual matches — Get notified when both users swipe right on each other.
• Profile & preferences — View and edit your profile, bio, photo, age range, gender preferences, and visibility settings.
• Location tracking — The app updates your location in the background so discovery stays proximity-based.
• Daily limits — Up to 5 new matches per day to keep interactions intentional.

Tech Stack

Layer	Technologies
Frontend	React 19, TypeScript, Vite, React Router, Google Maps (@vis.gl/react-google-maps)
Backend	Node.js, Express 5, MongoDB, Mongoose
Auth	Token-based sessions with bcrypt password hashing

Project Structure

LoveSignal/
├── backend/          # Express API, MongoDB models, seed script
│   ├── controllers/
│   ├── middleware/
│   ├── models/
│   ├── routes/
│   └── server.js
└── frontend/         # React SPA
    └── src/
        ├── components/
        ├── hooks/
        └── pages/

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• MongoDB instance (local or Atlas)
• Google Maps API key (for the match map)

Backend

cd backend
npm install

Create a .env file in backend/:

MONGO_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/lovesignal
PORT=3000

Start the server:

npm run dev

Seed the database with sample users (optional):

node seedUsers.js

Seeded accounts use the password seedPassword123!. See backend/fakeUsers15.json for sample emails.

Frontend

cd frontend
npm install

Create a .env file in frontend/:

VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:3000
VITE_GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY=your_google_maps_api_key

Start the dev server:

npm run dev

Open the URL shown in the terminal (typically http://localhost:5173) and log in or sign up.

API Overview

Full endpoint documentation lives in backend/API_DESIGN.md. Key routes:

Method	Path	Description
POST	/api/auth/signup	Register a new user
POST	/api/auth/login	Log in and receive an auth token
GET	/api/users/me	Get current user profile
PATCH	/api/users/me	Update profile
GET	/api/users/others	Discover nearby users
POST	/api/users/me/matches	Record a swipe-right match
GET	/api/users/me/matches	List active matches for the map

Protected routes require an Authorization: Bearer <token> header.

How It Works

1. Sign up or log in — Create an account with a location so you appear in nearby discovery.
2. Swipe on the dashboard — Right swipes create matches; left swipes are recorded as pings.
3. View the match map — Matched users show up as pins at the coordinates captured at match time.
4. Meet within 30 minutes — Match pins expire after 30 minutes, then are removed automatically.

License

ISC