🎓 NextRef - Alumni Connect

NextRef - Modern Alumni Referral Platform

Connecting students with alumni for authentic job referrals and career opportunities

📖 Overview

Alumni Connect (NextRef) is a modern full-stack web application that bridges the gap between students, universities, and alumni networks. Built with React, Node.js, and MongoDB, this platform creates a transparent and efficient referral ecosystem for campus recruitment.

The platform empowers:

Students to create profiles, upload resumes, and apply to exclusive job opportunities
Verifiers (Universities/Institutions) to validate student credentials
Alumni to post job openings and connect with verified talent from their alma mater

All interactions are managed through a secure REST API with JWT authentication, ensuring data integrity and user privacy.

✨ Features

🔐 Authentication System

JWT-Based Authentication - Secure token-based auth with HTTP-only cookies
Role-Based Access Control - Student, Alumni, and Verifier roles
Multi-Role Support - Dynamic role-based dashboards
Secure Password Hashing - Bcrypt encryption for user passwords
Session Management - Persistent login with token refresh

📄 Resume Management System

PDF Upload - Upload resumes via backend API
Cloudinary Storage - Secure cloud storage for documents
Database Storage - Resume metadata stored in MongoDB
Verification System - Manual verification by authorized verifiers
Profile Management - Complete student profile with resume links
QR Code Generation - Quick verification via scannable QR codes
ML Resume Analysis - Automatic skill extraction and parsing (via Python ML service)

💼 Job Referral Marketplace

Alumni Job Posting - Create and manage job opportunities
Backend API Integration - Full CRUD operations via REST API
Smart Application System - Only verified students can apply
Applicant Tracking - Complete application tracking in database
Shortlisting & Referrals - Direct candidate recommendations
Edit & Delete Jobs - Full opportunity management for alumni
Application Status - Track application lifecycle (Applied, Shortlisted, Referred, Rejected)
External Job Integration - Support for third-party job postings

🎨 Modern User Experience

Responsive Design - Mobile-first, fully responsive UI
Dark Mode - Comfortable theming for enhanced eye comfort
Smooth Animations - Framer Motion powered interactions
Lenis Smooth Scroll - Buttery-smooth scrolling experience
Toast Notifications - Real-time transaction feedback with Sonner

🔍 Transparency Features

Application Status Tracking - Real-time application status updates
Activity Dashboard - Comprehensive analytics for all users
API Documentation - Complete REST API reference guide
Integration Guides - Detailed API integration documentation
Toast Notifications - Real-time feedback for all actions

🤖 ML-Powered Features

Resume Parsing - Automatic skill extraction from PDFs
Job Recommendations - ML-based job matching algorithm
Skill Analysis - Advanced text preprocessing and analysis

🏗 Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      Frontend Layer                          │
│  React + TypeScript + Vite + Shadcn/UI + TailwindCSS        │
│  ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐        │
│  │   Student    │ │    Alumni    │ │   Verifier   │        │
│  │  Dashboard   │ │  Dashboard   │ │  Dashboard   │        │
│  └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘        │
└────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────┘
                     │ HTTP/REST API
                     │
┌────────────────────▼────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           Backend API Layer (Express + Node.js)             │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐              │
│  │      REST API Endpoints                  │              │
│  │  - Authentication (JWT)                  │              │
│  │  - Alumni & Student Profiles             │              │
│  │  - Opportunity Management                │              │
│  │  - Application Tracking                  │              │
│  │  - Resume Upload & Verification          │              │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────┘              │
│                                                              │
│  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐    │
│  │   MongoDB    │  │  Cloudinary  │  │  Firebase    │    │
│  │   Database   │  │ Image Storage│  │   (Optional) │    │
│  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘    │
└───────────────────┬─────────────────────────────────────────┘
                    │
         ┌──────────┴──────────┐
         │                     │
┌────────▼──────────┐  ┌───────▼────────────┐
│ ML Service        │  │  External APIs     │
│ (Flask + Python)  │  │  - Job Boards      │
│ - Resume Analysis │  │  - Email Service   │
│ - Job Matching    │  │  - Notifications   │
│ - Recommendations │  │                    │
└───────────────────┘  └────────────────────┘

Key Components

Frontend (`/Frontend`)

Pages: Landing page, role-based dashboards, authentication pages, profile management
Components: 40+ reusable UI components built with Radix UI and Shadcn/UI
Auth Module: Complete authentication system with JWT, role-based access control
Hooks: Custom React hooks for mobile detection, toast notifications
Services: API service layer for backend communication (applications, opportunities, jobs)
Contexts: Theme management, authentication state

Backend (`/Backend`)

Language: Node.js + Express.js
Database: MongoDB with Mongoose ODM
Authentication: JWT-based authentication with role-based access control
APIs: RESTful endpoints for all application features
File Upload: Cloudinary integration for image/document uploads, express-fileupload middleware
Middleware: Auth middleware, CORS configuration, cookie-parser, file upload handling
Security: Bcrypt password hashing, JWT tokens, HTTP-only cookies

API Base URL: http://localhost:4000/api/v1 (development) Production: https://nextref-alumni-connect.onrender.com/api/v1

Key Endpoints:

/api/v1/student/* - Student authentication and profile management
/api/v1/alumni/* - Alumni authentication and profile management
/api/v1/opportunities/* - Job opportunity CRUD operations
/api/v1/applications/* - Application management
/api/v1/external-jobs/* - External job postings integration

ML Service (`/ML`)

Language: Python + Flask
Features: Resume parsing, job recommendation, skill matching
ML Libraries: Scikit-learn for matching algorithms, NLTK for NLP
PDF Processing: pdfplumber for resume text extraction
Data Processing: Pandas and NumPy for data manipulation

Cloud Services

Cloudinary: Image and document storage with secure URLs
MongoDB Atlas: Cloud-hosted database (production)
Render: Backend API hosting (production)

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

Node.js (v18+ recommended)
npm or bun package manager
MongoDB (local installation or MongoDB Atlas account)
Python 3.8+ (for ML service)

Installation

Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/Subhadipjana95/NextRef_Alumni-Connect.git
cd Alumni-Connect

Install dependencies

Frontend:

cd Frontend
npm install
# or
bun install

Backend:

cd Backend
npm install

ML Service:

cd ML
pip install -r requirements.txt

Configure environment variables

Frontend (.env in /Frontend directory)

# API Configuration
VITE_API_BASE_URL=http://localhost:4000/api/v1

# Builder.io Configuration (Optional - for CMS features)
VITE_PUBLIC_BUILDER_KEY=your_builder_key

Backend (.env in /Backend directory)

# Server Configuration
PORT=4000

# Database Configuration
DB_URL=mongodb://localhost:27017/alumni-connect
# OR for MongoDB Atlas:
# DB_URL=mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster.mongodb.net/alumni-connect

# JWT Authentication
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_key_here

# Cloudinary Configuration (for image uploads)
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloud_name
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your_api_key
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your_api_secret

Start development servers

Backend:

cd Backend
npm run dev
# Runs on http://localhost:4000

Frontend:

cd Frontend
npm run dev
# Runs on http://localhost:5173

ML Service (Optional):

cd ML
python app.py
# Runs on http://localhost:5000

Access the application

Frontend: http://localhost:5173
Backend API: http://localhost:4000/api/v1
ML Service: http://localhost:5000

First Time Setup

Install MongoDB locally or create a MongoDB Atlas account
Setup Cloudinary account for image storage at Cloudinary
Configure environment variables as shown above
Install dependencies for Frontend, Backend, and ML services

� Backend API

API Overview

The Backend API is built with Express.js and MongoDB, providing a robust REST API for all application features.

Base URL: http://localhost:4000/api/v1 (Development)
Production: https://nextref-alumni-connect.onrender.com/api/v1

Authentication

All protected routes require JWT authentication via:

Cookie: token
Header: Authorization: Bearer <token>
Body: token field

API Endpoints

Student Authentication

POST /api/v1/student/signup - Student registration
POST /api/v1/student/login - Student login

Alumni Authentication

POST /api/v1/alumni/signup - Alumni registration
POST /api/v1/alumni/login - Alumni login

Opportunity Management

POST /api/v1/opportunities/create - Create job opportunity (Alumni)
PUT /api/v1/opportunities/:opportunityId - Update opportunity (Alumni - Owner)
DELETE /api/v1/opportunities/:opportunityId - Close opportunity (Alumni - Owner)
GET /api/v1/opportunities - Get all opportunities (Same college)
GET /api/v1/my-opportunities - Get my posted opportunities (Alumni)

Application Management

POST /api/v1/applications/apply - Apply for referral (Student)
GET /api/v1/applications/my-applications - Get my applications (Student)
GET /api/v1/applications/:opportunityId - Get applicants (Alumni - Owner)
PUT /api/v1/applications/:applicationId/shortlist - Shortlist candidate (Alumni)
PUT /api/v1/applications/:applicationId/refer - Provide referral (Alumni)
PUT /api/v1/applications/:applicationId/reject - Reject application (Alumni)

Profile Management

GET /api/v1/student/profile - Get student profile
PUT /api/v1/student/profile - Update student profile
GET /api/v1/alumni/profile - Get alumni profile
PUT /api/v1/alumni/profile - Update alumni profile

Resume Management

POST /api/v1/student/resume/upload - Upload resume (PDF)
GET /api/v1/student/resume - Get resume data

For complete API documentation, see Backend/API_REFERENCE.md

�📜 Smart Contract

Contract Overview

The NextRef smart contract is written in Move and deployed on Aptos Devnet.

Module Address: nextref::nextref

Core Functions

Entry Functions (Transactions)

Function	Role	Description
`initialize`	Deployer	Initialize contract with verifier address
`register_alumni`	Alumni	Register as an alumni user
`submit_resume`	Student	Submit resume hash to blockchain
`verify_resume`	Verifier	Approve/reject student resumes
`create_job`	Alumni	Create new job posting
`apply_to_job`	Student	Apply to job (requires verification)

View Functions (Read-Only)

Function	Description
`get_student`	Retrieve student data and verification status
`is_student_verified`	Check if student is verified
`get_job_applicants`	Get list of applicants for a job
`get_verifier`	Get verifier address
`is_alumni`	Check if address is registered alumni

Events Emitted

ResumeSubmitted - When student uploads resume
ResumeVerified - When verifier approves/rejects
JobCreated - When alumni posts new job
JobApplication - When student applies to job

Deployment

# Navigate to contracts directory
cd Frontend/contracts

# Initialize Aptos CLI
aptos init --network devnet

# Fund your account
aptos account fund-with-faucet --account default

# Compile contract
aptos move compile --named-addresses nextref=default

# Deploy to Devnet
aptos move publish --named-addresses nextref=default

# Initialize contract
aptos move run \
  --function-id 'default::nextref::initialize' \
  --args 'address:<VERIFIER_ADDRESS>'

🛠 Tech Stack

Frontend

Technology	Purpose	Version
React	UI Framework	18.3.1
TypeScript	Type Safety	5.8.3
Vite	Build Tool	5.4.19
TailwindCSS	Styling	3.4.17
Shadcn/UI	Component Library	Latest
Framer Motion	Animations	12.23.26
React Router	Navigation	6.30.1
Tanstack Query	State Management	5.83.0

Backend

Technology	Purpose	Version
Node.js	Runtime Environment	Latest
Express.js	Web Framework	4.18.2
MongoDB	Database	Latest
Mongoose	ODM	8.0.3
JWT	Authentication	9.0.2
Bcrypt	Password Hashing	5.1.1
Cloudinary	Image Storage	1.41.0
Axios	HTTP Client	1.13.2

ML Service

Technology	Purpose
Python	Programming Language
Flask	Web Framework
PyPDF2	PDF Processing
Scikit-learn	ML Algorithms
Pandas	Data Processing
NumPy	Numerical Computing

Development Tools

Technology	Purpose
Vite	Fast build tool and dev server
ESLint	Code linting and quality
Nodemon	Auto-restart for backend development

Storage & Utilities

Technology	Purpose
MongoDB	Primary database
Cloudinary	Image and document CDN
html5-qrcode	QR code scanning
date-fns	Date utilities
zod	Schema validation
Axios	HTTP client
Validator	Input validation

Lucide React - Beautiful icon library
Sonner - Toast notifications
Recharts - Data visualization
Lenis - Smooth scrolling

📁 Project Structure

Alumni Connect/
├── Frontend/                  # React + TypeScript frontend
│   │
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── Auth/              # Authentication module
│   │   │   ├── api.ts         # Auth API calls
│   │   │   ├── config.ts      # API endpoints config
│   │   │   ├── AuthContext.tsx
│   │   │   ├── hooks.ts
│   │   │   ├── storage.ts
│   │   │   └── types.ts
│   │   │
│   │   ├── components/         # React components
│   │   │   ├── alumni/        # Alumni dashboard
│   │   │   ├── student/       # Student dashboard
│   │   │   ├── verifier/      # Verifier dashboard
│   │   │   ├── ui/            # Shadcn UI components
│   │   │   ├── Home/          # Landing page sections
│   │   │   ├── Navbar.tsx
│   │   │   ├── Footer.tsx
│   │   │   ├── WalletButton.tsx
│   │   │   └── QRScanner.tsx
│   │   │
│   │   ├── contexts/          # React contexts
│   │   │   ├── WalletContext.tsx
│   │   │   └── ThemeContext.tsx
│   │   │
│   │   ├── lib/               # Utility libraries
│   │   │   ├── storage.ts     # Local storage helpers
│   │   │   ├── types.ts       # TypeScript types
│   │   │   └── utils.ts       # Utility functions
│   │   │
│   │   ├── services/          # API services
│   │   │   ├── applications.ts    # Application API calls
│   │   │   ├── externalJobs.ts    # External job integration
│   │   │   └── (other services)   # Additional API services
│   │   │
│   │   ├── pages/             # Route pages
│   │   │   ├── Index.tsx      # Main app page
│   │   │   ├── Home.tsx       # Landing page
│   │   │   └── About.tsx      # About page
│   │   │
│   │   ├── App.tsx            # App component
│   │   └── main.tsx           # Entry point
│   │
│   ├── public/                # Static assets
│   ├── package.json           # Dependencies
│   ├── vite.config.ts         # Vite configuration
│   ├── tailwind.config.ts     # Tailwind config
│   └── .env                   # Environment variables
│
├── Backend/                   # Node.js + Express backend
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── config/
│   │   │   ├── database.js    # MongoDB connection
│   │   │   └── cloudinary.js  # Cloudinary config
│   │   │
│   │   ├── controllers/       # Route controllers
│   │   │   ├── AlumniAuth.js
│   │   │   ├── AlumniProfile.js
│   │   │   ├── StudentAuth.js
│   │   │   ├── StudentProfile.js
│   │   │   ├── StudentResume.js
│   │   │   ├── OpportunityController.js
│   │   │   ├── ApplicationController.js
│   │   │   └── ExternalJobController.js
│   │   │
│   │   ├── middlewares/       # Express middlewares
│   │   │   └── auth.js        # JWT authentication
│   │   │
│   │   ├── models/            # Mongoose models
│   │   │   ├── AlumniModel.js
│   │   │   ├── StudentModel.js
│   │   │   ├── CollegeModel.js
│   │   │   ├── OpportunityModel.js
│   │   │   └── ApplicationModel.js
│   │   │
│   │   ├── routes/            # API routes
│   │   │   ├── AlumniAuthRoutes.js
│   │   │   ├── AlumniProfileRoutes.js
│   │   │   ├── StudentAuthRoutes.js
│   │   │   ├── StudentProfileRoutes.js
│   │   │   ├── StudentResumeRoutes.js
│   │   │   ├── OpportunityRoutes.js
│   │   │   ├── ApplicationRoutes.js
│   │   │   └── ExternalJobRoutes.js
│   │   │
│   │   ├── utils/             # Utility functions
│   │   │   ├── imageUploader.js
│   │   │   ├── tokenGenerator.js
│   │   │   └── getStringFromPdf.js
│   │   │
│   │   └── index.js           # Server entry point
│   │
│   ├── package.json           # Dependencies
│   ├── .env                   # Environment variables
│   └── API_REFERENCE.md       # API documentation
│
├── ML/                        # Python ML service
│   ├── app.py                 # Flask application
│   ├── recommend.py           # Job recommendation engine
│   ├── preprocessing.py       # Text preprocessing
│   ├── pdf_utils.py           # PDF parsing utilities
│   ├── requirements.txt       # Python dependencies
│   ├── notebooks/
│   │   └── job-recommendation.ipynb
│   └── uploads/               # Resume upload directory
│
├── README.md                  # This file
├── OPPORTUNITY_API_INTEGRATION.md
├── COMPLETE_INTEGRATION_SUMMARY.md
└── API_CONNECTION_MAP.md

🎯 Use Cases

1. Student Journey

Sign up with email and password
Select "Student" role
Fill profile details and upload resume (PDF)
Resume is uploaded to Cloudinary, metadata stored in database
Wait for university verifier to approve
Browse and apply to jobs posted by alumni
Track application status in dashboard
Generate QR code for quick verification

2. Verifier Journey

Sign in with verifier credentials
Review pending resume submissions
Verify student credentials
Approve or reject resumes in system
Track verification history and analytics

3. Alumni Journey

Sign up as alumni with email and password
Complete alumni profile with professional details
Create job postings with company and role details
Job stored in database, visible to verified students
View applicants for posted jobs
Shortlist, refer, or reject candidates
Track application pipeline and analytics
Edit or close job postings

🔒 Security Features

JWT Authentication - Secure token-based authentication system
Password Hashing - Bcrypt encryption for all passwords
Role-Based Access Control - Middleware enforces role permissions
HTTP-Only Cookies - Secure token storage
CORS Protection - Configured allowed origins
Input Validation - Server-side validation for all inputs
Secure File Uploads - Cloudinary handles file storage securely

🚀 Deployment

Frontend Deployment (Vercel)

cd Frontend
npm run build
# Deploy to Vercel
vercel --prod

Backend Deployment (Render/Railway)

Environment Variables: Set all required env vars in your hosting platform
Build Command: npm install
Start Command: npm start
Port: Uses process.env.PORT or 4000

Current Production URL: https://nextref-alumni-connect.onrender.com

Database (MongoDB Atlas)

Create a cluster on MongoDB Atlas
Get connection string
Add to DB_URL in backend .env

Environment Variables

Ensure all required environment variables are set in your hosting platform:

Backend: DB_URL, JWT_SECRET, CLOUDINARY_* credentials
Frontend: VITE_API_BASE_URL

🌐 Deployment Information

Backend API: https://nextref-alumni-connect.onrender.com/api/v1
Frontend: https://next-ref-alumni-connect.vercel.app
Database: MongoDB Atlas (Production)
Storage: Cloudinary
Hosting: Render (Backend) + Vercel (Frontend)

🚧 Roadmap

Phase 1 - Core Features ✅

Backend API with Express + MongoDB
Frontend with React + TypeScript
Authentication system (JWT)
Opportunity management (CRUD)
Application tracking system
ML-based job recommendations
Resume upload and verification
Cloudinary file storage
Role-based dashboards

Phase 2 - Enhancements 🚀

Real-time notifications (WebSocket)
Advanced analytics dashboard
Email notification system
Multi-file resume uploads
Video interview integration
Calendar integration for interviews
Automated interview scheduling

Phase 3 - Expansion 🌟

Blockchain integration (optional) for credential verification
Enhanced AI-powered resume matching
Reputation scoring system
Direct messaging between alumni and students
Mobile app (React Native)
Integration with LinkedIn/GitHub
Referral reward system
Company partnerships module
Advanced analytics and reporting

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please follow these steps:

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
Commit changes (git commit -m 'Add AmazingFeature')
Push to branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
Open a Pull Request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

MongoDB - For the robust database platform
Cloudinary - For reliable cloud storage
Shadcn/UI - For beautiful UI components
Vercel - For frontend hosting and deployment
Render - For backend API hosting

📞 Support

For questions, issues, or feature requests:

GitHub Issues: Create an issue
Discussions: Join discussions

📚 Additional Documentation

Backend API Reference - Complete API endpoint documentation
Opportunity API Integration - Detailed integration guide
Complete Integration Summary - Full feature integration status
API Connection Map - Backend-Frontend connection overview

👥 Team

Built with ❤️ by Team CODE KINETICS⚡

Empowering the future of decentralized recruitment

⭐ Star this repository if you found it helpful!

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 71 Commits
.vscode		.vscode
AI_Endpoint		AI_Endpoint
Backend		Backend
Frontend		Frontend
API_CONNECTION_MAP.md		API_CONNECTION_MAP.md
COMPLETE_INTEGRATION_SUMMARY.md		COMPLETE_INTEGRATION_SUMMARY.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
OPPORTUNITY_API_INTEGRATION.md		OPPORTUNITY_API_INTEGRATION.md
README.md		README.md

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Subhadipjana95/Next.Ref_Alumni-Connect

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