🎓 NextRef - Alumni Connect

NextRef - Blockchain-Powered Alumni Referral Protocol

Revolutionizing university recruitment through decentralized trust and verified credentials

Features • Architecture • Getting Started • Smart Contract • Tech Stack

📖 Overview

Alumni Connect (NextRef) is a cutting-edge decentralized application that bridges the gap between students, universities, and alumni networks. Built on the Aptos blockchain, this platform leverages the power of blockchain technology to create a transparent, trustless, and efficient referral ecosystem for campus recruitment.

The platform empowers:

Students to submit verified resumes and apply to exclusive job opportunities
Verifiers (Universities/Institutions) to validate student credentials on-chain
Alumni to post job openings and connect with verified talent from their alma mater

All interactions are recorded immutably on the blockchain, ensuring transparency, preventing fraud, and building a decentralized trust network.

✨ 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
Petra Wallet Integration - Optional Web3 wallet connection for blockchain features
Secure Password Hashing - Bcrypt encryption for user passwords

📄 Resume Management System

PDF Upload - Upload resumes via backend API
Cloudinary Storage - Secure cloud storage for documents
IPFS Storage - Optional decentralized resume storage via Pinata
Hash-Based Verification - Cryptographic proof of document authenticity
On-Chain Status - Optional immutable verification records on Aptos
QR Code Generation - Quick verification via scannable QR codes
ML Resume Analysis - Automatic skill extraction and parsing

💼 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 - On-chain and database application records
Shortlisting & Referrals - Direct candidate recommendations
Edit & Delete Jobs - Full opportunity management for alumni
Application Status - Track application lifecycle

🎨 Modern User Experience

Responsive Design - Mobile-first, fully responsive UI
Dark/Light Mode - Customizable theme with next-themes
Smooth Animations - Framer Motion powered interactions
Lenis Smooth Scroll - Buttery-smooth scrolling experience
Toast Notifications - Real-time transaction feedback with Sonner

🔍 Transparency Features

Transaction Explorer Links - Direct links to Aptos Explorer
Real-Time Status Updates - Live transaction status monitoring
Event Emission - Blockchain events for all critical actions
API Documentation - Complete REST API reference guide
Integration Guides - Detailed API integration documentation

🤖 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   │        │
│  └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘        │
└────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────┘
                     │
         ┌───────────┴───────────┐
         │                       │
┌────────▼──────────┐   ┌────────▼──────────┐
│  Wallet Adapter   │   │   IPFS (Pinata)   │
│  (Petra Wallet)   │   │  Resume Storage   │
└────────┬──────────┘   └───────────────────┘
         │
         │
┌────────▼──────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           Backend API Layer (Express + Node.js)   │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐    │
│  │      REST API Endpoints                  │    │
│  │  - Authentication (JWT)                  │    │
│  │  - Alumni & Student Profiles             │    │
│  │  - Opportunity Management                │    │
│  │  - Application Tracking                  │    │
│  │  - Resume Upload & Verification          │    │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────┘    │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐    │
│  │      MongoDB Database                    │    │
│  │  - User Collections                      │    │
│  │  - Opportunity & Application Data        │    │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────┘    │
└───────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┘
                    │
         ┌──────────┴──────────┐
         │                     │
┌────────▼──────────┐  ┌───────▼────────────┐
│ ML Service        │  │ Aptos Blockchain   │
│ (Flask + Python)  │  │    (Devnet)        │
│ - Resume Analysis │  │  ┌──────────────┐  │
│ - Job Matching    │  │  │ Smart        │  │
│ - Recommendations │  │  │ Contract     │  │
└───────────────────┘  │  └──────────────┘  │
                       └────────────────────┘

Key Components

Frontend (`/Frontend`)

Pages: Landing page, role-based dashboards, authentication pages
Components: 40+ reusable UI components built with Radix UI
Contexts: Wallet connection, theme management, authentication
Hooks: Custom React hooks for mobile detection, toast notifications
Libraries: Blockchain interaction, IPFS integration, QR code generation
Services: API service layer for backend communication

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 uploads
Middleware: Auth middleware, CORS configuration, file upload handling

API Base URL: http://localhost:4000/api/v1 (development)

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: TensorFlow/Scikit-learn for matching algorithms
PDF Processing: PyPDF2 for resume text extraction

Smart Contract (`/Frontend/contracts`)

Language: Move (Aptos native)
Module: nextref::nextref
Functions: 6 entry functions, 5 view functions
Events: Resume submission, verification, job creation, applications

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

Node.js (v18+ recommended)
npm or bun package manager
Petra Wallet browser extension (Install)
Aptos CLI (for contract deployment)

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

# Aptos Blockchain Configuration (Optional - only if using blockchain features)
VITE_APTOS_NETWORK=devnet
VITE_MODULE_ADDRESS=0xd825ff93605363709e2a2878e997bb5e05e6136b3d9bdab40898e7ed01bbe3fd

# Pinata IPFS Configuration (Optional - only if using IPFS features)
VITE_PINATA_API_KEY=your_pinata_api_key
VITE_PINATA_SECRET_KEY=your_pinata_secret_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

Petra Wallet Setup

Install the Petra Wallet Extension
Create a new wallet or import existing
Switch network to Aptos Devnet
Get test APT from the Aptos Faucet

� 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

Blockchain & Web3

Technology	Purpose
Aptos SDK	Blockchain interaction
Wallet Adapter	Petra wallet integration
Move Language	Smart contract development

Storage & Utilities

Technology	Purpose
IPFS (Pinata)	Decentralized file storage
MongoDB	Primary database
Cloudinary	Image CDN
html5-qrcode	QR code scanning
qrcode	QR code generation
date-fns	Date utilities
zod	Schema validation

UI Components

Radix UI - 30+ accessible primitive components
Lucide React - Beautiful icon library
Sonner - Toast notifications
Recharts - Data visualization
Lenis - Smooth scrolling

📁 Project Structure

Alumni Connect/
├── Frontend/                  # React + TypeScript frontend
│   ├── contracts/              # Move smart contracts
│   │   ├── sources/
│   │   │   └── chainrefer.move # Main contract
│   │   ├── build/              # Compiled bytecode
│   │   └── Move.toml           # Contract config
│   │
│   ├── 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
│   │   │   ├── aptos.ts       # Blockchain functions
│   │   │   ├── ipfs.ts        # IPFS integration
│   │   │   ├── qrcode.ts      # QR utilities
│   │   │   ├── storage.ts     # Local storage
│   │   │   ├── blockchain.ts  # Transaction helpers
│   │   │   └── types.ts       # TypeScript types
│   │   │
│   │   ├── services/          # API services
│   │   │   └── opportunities.ts # Opportunity API calls
│   │   │
│   │   ├── 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

Connect Petra wallet
Select "Student" role
Fill profile details and upload resume (PDF)
Resume is uploaded to IPFS, hash stored on-chain
Wait for university verifier to approve
Browse and apply to jobs posted by alumni
Generate QR code for quick verification

2. Verifier Journey

Connect wallet with verifier privileges
Review pending resume submissions
Verify student credentials off-chain
Approve or reject resumes on-chain
Track verification history

3. Alumni Journey

Connect wallet and register as alumni
Create job postings with details
Job metadata stored on IPFS
View applicants for posted jobs
Shortlist and refer candidates
Track application pipeline

🔒 Security Features

Wallet Signature - All transactions require user approval
Role-Based Access - Smart contract enforces role permissions
Hash Verification - Documents verified via cryptographic hashes
Immutable Records - On-chain data cannot be altered
IPFS Storage - Decentralized file storage prevents censorship
No Private Data - Only hashes and metadata stored on-chain

🚀 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

Smart Contract Deployment

See Smart Contract Deployment section above for Move contract deployment.

🌐 Network Information

Blockchain: Aptos Devnet
Explorer: https://explorer.aptoslabs.com/
Faucet: https://aptoslabs.com/faucet
Wallet: Petra Wallet (petra.app)
Backend API: https://nextref-alumni-connect.onrender.com/api/v1
Frontend: https://next-ref-alumni-connect.vercel.app

🚧 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
Blockchain integration (Aptos)
IPFS resume storage

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 🌟

Multi-chain support (Ethereum, Polygon)
Enhanced AI-powered resume matching
Reputation scoring system
Direct messaging between alumni and students
Mobile app (React Native)
Integration with LinkedIn/GitHub
Referral reward tokens
Company partnerships module

🤝 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

Aptos Labs - For the high-performance blockchain platform
Petra Wallet - For seamless Web3 integration
Pinata - For IPFS infrastructure
Shadcn - For beautiful UI components
Vercel - For hosting and deployment

📞 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
Wallet Integration Guide - Web3 wallet setup guide

👥 Team

Built with ❤️ by Team COSMO BLOCKS

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 59 Commits
.vscode		.vscode
Backend		Backend
Frontend		Frontend
ML		ML
API_CONNECTION_MAP.md		API_CONNECTION_MAP.md
COMPLETE_INTEGRATION_SUMMARY.md		COMPLETE_INTEGRATION_SUMMARY.md
OPPORTUNITY_API_INTEGRATION.md		OPPORTUNITY_API_INTEGRATION.md
README.md		README.md

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