This guide will help you set up the project locally.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

• Git
• Node.js (recommended version 18.x or later)
• npm (Node Package Manager)
• A GitHub account

1. Fork the Repository

1. Navigate to the project repository on GitHub
2. Click the "Fork" button in the top-right corner of the page
   • This creates a copy of the repository in your GitHub account
3. Choose your personal account as the destination for the fork

2. Clone Your Forked Repository

# Replace <your-username> with your GitHub username
git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/stuconnect.git

# Navigate to the project directory
cd stuconnect

3. Backend Setup

3.1 Environment Configuration

Navigate to the backend directory:

cd backend

Create the temp folder in public directory.

Create a .env file with the following content:

MONGODB_URI=
DB_NAME=
PORT=
CORS_ORIGIN=

ACCESS_TOKEN_SECRET=
ACCESS_TOKEN_EXPIRY=
REFRESH_TOKEN_SECRET=
REFRESH_TOKEN_EXPIRY=

CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=   
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET= 

LIVEKIT_URL=
LIVEKIT_API_KEY=
LIVEKIT_API_SECRET=

PINECONE_API_KEY=
HUGGINGFACEHUB_API_KEY=
PINECONE_INDEX=test

Note: Go to https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GPEOXWV55sHhedJVsLoCnUTZYE9Y_oQbZ2PV_hatIw8/edit?usp=sharing for .env file.

3.2 Install Backend Dependencies

# Install required npm packages
npm install

4. Frontend Setup

4.1 Environment Configuration

Navigate to the frontend directory:

cd ../frontend

Create a .env file with the following content:

VITE_BACKEND_URL=
VITE_LIVEKIT_URL=
VITE_OPENAI_API_KEY=

Note: Go to https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GPEOXWV55sHhedJVsLoCnUTZYE9Y_oQbZ2PV_hatIw8/edit?usp=sharing for .env file.

4.2 Install Frontend Dependencies

# Install required npm packages
npm install

5. Running the Application

5.1 Start Backend Server

# From the backend directory
cd backend
npm run build
npm run start

5.2 Start Frontend Development Server

# From the frontend directory
cd ../frontend
npm run dev

6. Accessing the Application

• Backend will typically run on http://localhost:8000
• Frontend will typically run on http://localhost:5173
• Register using email and password
• Create a new server using top left button

7. Contributing

1. Create a new branch for your feature

   git checkout -b feature/your-roll-no
2. Make your changes
3. Commit your changes

   git commit -m "Description of your changes"
4. Push to your fork

   git push origin feature/your-feature-name
5. Open a Pull Request from your fork to the original repository