HouseFly: Roommate Matchmaker Mobile App

HouseFly is a cross-platform mobile app (built with Expo/React Native) that helps students find rooms, roommates, and sublets based on lifestyle compatibility. Users can browse detailed profiles, view photos, and get matched quickly and securely.

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Table of Contents

• Overview
• Features
• Onboarding Flow
• Data Models
• API Integration
• Project Structure
• Setup & Development
• Environment Configuration
• Build & Deployment
• Security
• Credits

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Overview

HouseFly is designed for students seeking compatible roommates or sublets. The app provides:

• A smooth onboarding experience
• Profile browsing for both "hunters" (listing a room) and "renters" (seeking a room)
• Lifestyle and preference-based matching
• Fast connection to top matches

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Features

• Onboarding: Guided onboarding to select user type (Hunter or Renter)
• Profile Browsing: Swipe through detailed profiles with photos, lifestyle, and preferences
• Matching: Get connected to your best matches within 12 hours
• Contact: Directly reach out to the HouseFly team for personalized matching
• Profile Switching: Switch between Hunter and Renter profiles
• Cross-Platform: Runs on iOS, Android, and web (via Expo)

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Onboarding Flow

1. Welcome Screen:
   • Introduction to HouseFly and its mission
   • Button to get started
2. User Type Selection:
   • Choose between:
     • "I am looking for a room or new roommates" (Renter)
     • "I am trying to rent or lease my current room" (Hunter)
   • User type is stored for personalized experience
3. Profile Completion:
   • Users complete their profile (not shown in onboarding, but required for matching)

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Data Models

Hunter

• User Info: id, first_name, last_name, age, gender, major, user_type
• General: groceries, sleep_schedule, guests, party, little_about_me
• Cleanliness: cleanliness_level, dishes, home_cleaning_frequency
• Drugs: drinking, smoking, weed, drugs
• Home Attributes: location, move_in, move_out, price_bottom, price_top, neighborhood, other
• About Me: personal_attribute1-4
• Photos: headshot, profile1-5

Renter

• User Info: id, first_name, last_name, age, gender, major, user_type
• House General: groceries, sleep_schedule, guests, party, little_about_us
• Cleanliness: cleanliness_level, dishes, home_cleaning_frequency
• Drugs: drinking, smoking, weed, drugs
• House Attributes: location, price, rooms, bathrooms, move_in, move_out, parking, furnished, pets, broker_fees, laundry
• About Roommates: roommate_attribute1-4
• Photos: headshot, profile1-5

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API Integration

• Backend: REST API (configured via environment variables)
• Endpoints Used:
  • /users/:id — Basic user info
  • /hunter_general/:id, /renter_house_general/:id — General info
  • /hunter_cleanliness/:id, /renter_house_cleanliness/:id — Cleanliness
  • /hunter_drugs/:id, /renter_drugs/:id — Substance use
  • /hunter_home_attributes/:id, /renter_house_attributes/:id — Home/house details
  • /hunter_about_me/:id, /renter_about_me_attributes/:id — Personal/roommate attributes
  • /hunter_photos/:id, /renter_photos/:id — Profile photos
  • /hunters, /renters — List of all hunters/renters
• Storage: User type and onboarding status are stored locally with AsyncStorage

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Project Structure

housefly-v1/
  app/                # App entry, navigation, and screens
    (tabs)/           # Tabbed navigation: Explore, Match, Profile
    _layout.tsx       # Root layout and onboarding logic
  components/         # UI components (Hunter, Renter, Onboarding, etc.)
  constants/          # Color and style constants
  hooks/              # Custom React hooks
  services/           # API service logic
  src/
    config/           # Environment configuration
    database/         # Database connection
    utils/            # Utility functions (logging, etc.)
  types/              # TypeScript data models
  assets/             # Images, fonts, and static assets
  scripts/            # Utility scripts
  package.json        # Project dependencies and scripts
  app.json            # Expo app configuration

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Setup & Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16+ recommended)
• Yarn or npm
• Expo CLI

Install dependencies

npm install
# or
yarn install

Configure environment variables

# Copy the example environment file
cp .env.example .env

# Edit .env with your actual values
# REQUIRED: API_BASE_URL, API_PROD_URL, CONTACT_PHONE, RDS_ENDPOINT, DB_PASSWORD
# OPTIONAL: AWS_REGION, AWS_PROJECT_REGION, FIREBASE_API_KEY, FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID

⚠️ Security Note:

• Never commit .env files to version control
• All sensitive values are now environment-dependent
• The app will fail to start in production if required variables are missing

Start the app

npx expo start

• Open in Expo Go, iOS Simulator, or Android Emulator as prompted

Lint & Test

npm run lint
npm run test

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Environment Configuration

The app uses a centralized configuration system located in src/config/environment.ts.

Required Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the root directory with the following variables:

# API Configuration
API_BASE_URL=https://your-api-url.com
API_PROD_URL=https://your-api-url.com/prod

# Contact Information
CONTACT_PHONE=your-phone-number

# Database Configuration
RDS_ENDPOINT=your-rds-endpoint
DB_PASSWORD=your-db-password

# AWS Configuration (if using Amplify)
AWS_REGION=us-east-1
AWS_PROJECT_REGION=us-east-1

# Firebase Configuration (if using Firebase)
FIREBASE_API_KEY=your-firebase-api-key
FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID=your-firebase-project-id

Development Fallbacks

For development, the app includes fallback values for non-sensitive configuration. In production, all required environment variables should be properly set.

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Build & Deployment

• EAS Build:
  • Configure builds in eas.json
  • Run eas build --platform ios or eas build --platform android
• Reset Project:
  • To reset starter code: npm run reset-project

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Security

This repository has been prepared for public release with the following security measures:

✅ Fixed Issues

• API Endpoints: Moved from hardcoded URLs to centralized configuration
• Contact Information: Phone numbers now use environment variables
• AWS Configuration: Removed sensitive Amplify files from repository
• Personal Information: Removed developer-specific paths and names
• Environment Variables: Created proper .env.example template

🔒 Protected Files

The following files are excluded from version control:

• .env and environment-specific files
• Amplify configuration files with sensitive data
• AWS credentials and account information

📝 Configuration

• All sensitive configuration is now centralized in src/config/environment.ts
• Development fallbacks are provided for non-sensitive values
• Production deployments should use proper environment variables

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Credits

• Built by the HouseFly team
• Contact: HouseFly Team
• Special thanks to all contributors and testers!