COSC310 Netflix & Coding Online Web Shopping Platform

A containerized web shopping platform developed As the Main project for COSC 310

Team Members

• Kithe Kisia
• Coran McColm
• Fraser Muller
• Harrison Kayihura

Installation Instructions

The system is fully containerized and requires Docker Desktop to run. Follow these steps to set up and run the application.

Prerequisites

• Docker Desktop installed on your system
• Git installed on your system
• Terminal or command prompt access

Setup Steps

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/KitheK/Netflix-and-Coding.git
cd Netflix-and-Coding

Step 2: Checkout Main Branch

The main branch is checked out by default, but you can verify with:

git checkout main

Step 3: Build and Start the Application

This command will build and start both the frontend and backend containers:

docker compose up --build

Step 4: Stopping the Application

To shut down the system:

docker compose down

Dependencies

A complete list of required packages and libraries is available in requirements.txt.

Setting Up a Virtual Environment (Optional)

If you prefer to run the application outside of Docker, we recommend using a virtual environment to avoid package conflicts:

pip3 install -r requirements.txt

Note: Instructions for initializing a virtual environment vary by operating system and are outside the scope of this documentation.

Account Credentials

Administrator Account

• Email: admin@example.com
• Password: AdminPass1

Example User Account

• Email: testing@ubc.ca
• Password: testingtesting1

Switching Accounts

You can switch between user accounts using the login/logout feature. When logged out, there is no option to add items to the cart.

Maintenance Requirements

Database Management

The system uses JSON files for data storage. All read and write operations include built-in duplicate checks and safety validations.

Recommended Approach

Use the built-in functions provided by the system to create or remove database entries.

Manual Data Entry

If you need to manually edit the JSON files, follow these guidelines:

• The database uses a HashMap/Dictionary structure
• Each file uses a key (either product code or user code) that maps to related data entries
• The key serves as an umbrella for all associated data
• Review the file structure carefully before making manual changes to understand the specific schema

External APIs and Services

The system integrates two external APIs:

1. Currency Conversion API

Endpoint: https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@fawazahmed0/currency-api@latest/v1/currencies/{base_currency_lower}.json

Implementation:

• Configured in external service files (external_service, external_router)
• Retrieves the most recent exchange rates
• Converts prices from native Rupees to target currencies
• Supported currencies: GBP, CAD, EUR, USD

Workflow:

1. API call retrieves current exchange rate
2. Price conversion function applies the rate to calculate local prices

2. Image Scraper

Purpose: Automatically refreshes product images to avoid Amazon's native image expiry.

Implementation:

• Service Layer: image_scraper_service handles the scraping logic
• API Endpoint: admin_router.post (requires administrator permissions)

Functionality:

• Creates a mimicked request to Amazon using product links from the database
• Extracts the URL of the landing page image
• Updates the database with the new image URL
• Requires admin permissions to request image refreshes for all products

Workflow:

1. Scraper retrieves product link from database
2. Mimics request to Amazon product page
3. Extracts current image URL
4. Updates database with refreshed image link

Repository

GitHub: https://github.com/KitheK/Netflix-and-Coding

Support

For issues or questions, please refer to the repository's issue tracker or contact the development team.