Full-Stack E-Commerce Marketplace Website- MERN Stack

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16 or higher)
• MongoDB Atlas account (or local MongoDB)
• Git
• npm or yarn package manager

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/hema-latha-reddy/Marketnest.git
cd Marketnest

Step 2: Backend Setup

Navigate to backend folder:

cd backend

Install dependencies:

npm install

Create .env file:

touch .env

Add these environment variables to .env:

env

MONGODB_URI=mongodb+srv://<username>:<password>@cluster0.mongodb.net/marketnest
JWT_SECRET=your_secret_key_here
PORT=5050
NODE_ENV=development
FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:5173

Start the backend server:

npx nodemon server.js

The backend will run on: http://localhost:5050

Step 3: Frontend Setup

Open a new terminal and navigate to frontend folder:

cd frontend

Install dependencies:

npm install

Create .env file:

touch .env

Add environment variable to .env:

env

VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:5050/api

Start the frontend development server:

npm run dev

The frontend will run on: http://localhost:5173

Step 4: Database Setup

1. Create a MongoDB Atlas account at https://www.mongodb.com/cloud/atlas
2. Create a new cluster (free tier)
3. Create a database user with username and password
4. Whitelist your IP address (or add 0.0.0.0/0 for development)
5. Copy the connection string and replace <username> and <password> in .env

Step 5: Verify Installation

1. Open browser and go to: http://localhost:5173
2. You should see the MarketNest landing page
3. Click "Sign Up" to create a new account
4. Login with your credentials
5. 
   

For Customers (Shoppers)

1. Creating an Account

1. Go to the Signup page
2. Fill in your name, email, and password
3. Select "Customer" as your role
4. Click "Create Account"
5. You will be automatically logged in

2. Browsing Products

1. Go to the Marketplace page
2. Browse products displayed in grid view
3. Use the search bar to find products by name
4. Filter products by category (Men, Women, Kids, Accessories)
5. Click "Search Now" to apply filters

3. Viewing Product Details

1. Click on any product card
2. View product images, description, and price
3. Select quantity using + and - buttons
4. Click "Add to Cart" to add items

4. Shopping Cart

1. Click the cart icon in the navbar
2. View all items in your cart
3. Update quantities using + and - buttons
4. Remove items using the trash icon
5. View order summary with total amount
6. Click "Proceed to Checkout" to place order

5. Searching and Filtering

• Search bar: Type product name and click "Search Now"
• Category filter: Select a category from dropdown
• Pagination: Use Previous/Next buttons to navigate pages

For Brands (Sellers)

1. Creating a Brand Account

1. Go to the Signup page
2. Fill in your name, email, and password
3. Select "Brand" as your role
4. Click "Create Account"
5. You will be redirected to the Brand Dashboard

2. Dashboard Overview

• View statistics cards: Total Products, Published, Archived
• Click on any card to filter products
• Track your product inventory at a glance

3. Creating a Product

1. On the Brand Dashboard, click "Create New Product"
2. Fill in product details:

• Product Name
• Description
• Price (₹)
• Category (Men/Women/Kids/Accessories)
• Status (Draft/Published)
• Image URL

1. Click "Create Product"
2. Product will appear in your products list

4. Managing Products

• Edit: Click "Edit" on any product, update details, click "Update Product"
• Archive: Click "Archive" to soft-delete a product
• View: Products are displayed in a table with status badges

5. Product Status

• Draft: Not visible to customers
• Published: Visible to customers on marketplace
• Archived: Soft-deleted, only visible to brand

Password Management

Forgot Password:

1. Click "Forgot Password?" on the Login page
2. Enter your registered email
3. Check your email for reset link
4. Click the link to set a new password
5. Login with your new password

Password Requirements:

• Minimum 8 characters
• At least 1 uppercase letter (A-Z)
• At least 1 lowercase letter (a-z)
• At least 1 number (0-9)
• At least 1 special character (!@#$%^&*)

Key Workflows

Customer Flow:

Signup/Login → Browse Marketplace → Search/Filter Products → 
View Product Details → Add to Cart → Manage Cart → Checkout

Brand Flow:

Signup/Login → Brand Dashboard → Create Product → 
Manage Products → Edit/Archive Products → Track Stats

Authentication Flow:

Forgot Password → Receive Reset Link → Set New Password → Login

Troubleshooting

IssueSolutionCan't loginCheck email and password. Use "Forgot Password" if neededProducts not showingEnsure products are "Published" by brandAdd to Cart not workingCheck if you're logged in as CustomerAPI errorsVerify backend is running on port 5050CORS errorsCheck backend .env has correct FRONTEND_URL

Tech Stack Commands

Backend commands:

npm start          # Start production server
npm run dev        # Start development server with nodemon

Frontend commands:

npm run dev        # Start development server
npm run build      # Build for production
npm run preview    # Preview production build

Deployment Commands

Backend (Render):

• Push code to GitHub → Render auto-deploys

Frontend (Vercel):

vercel --prod      # Deploy to production

### Hardware Requirements

- **Processor:** Intel Core i3 / AMD Ryzen 3 or better

- **RAM:** 4 GB minimum (8 GB recommended)

- **Storage:** 2 GB free space

- **Internet:** Broadband connection

### Software Requirements

- **Operating System:** Windows 10/11, macOS 10.15+, or Linux (Ubuntu 20.04+)

- **Node.js:** Version 16.0 or higher

- **npm:** Version 8.0 or higher

- **MongoDB:** Version 5.0 or higher (Atlas or local)

- **Git:** Version 2.30 or higher

- **Browser:** Chrome 90+, Firefox 88+, or Edge 90+

### Development Tools

- VS Code (recommended)

- Postman (for API testing)

- MongoDB Compass (for database GUI)

### Cloud Accounts Required

- MongoDB Atlas (free tier)

- Vercel (free tier)

- Render (free tier)

### Ports Required

- **5050** - Backend API

- **5173** - Frontend development

- **27017** - MongoDB (local)

### npm Dependencies

**Backend:**

express, mongoose, bcryptjs, jsonwebtoken, cors, dotenv, cookie-parser, multer, cloudinary

**Frontend:**

react, react-dom, react-router-dom, axios, tailwindcss, lucide-react, vite

### Disk Space Breakdown

- Node.js: ~200 MB

- Project files: ~2 MB

- node_modules (both): ~350 MB

- MongoDB (local): ~500 MB

- **Total:** ~1.5 GB

### Browser Support

- Chrome 90+

- Firefox 88+

- Safari 14+

- Edge 90+

### Environment Variables Needed

**Backend (.env):**

MONGODB_URI = mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster.mongodb.net/marketnest

JWT_SECRET = your_secret_key

PORT = 5050

FRONTEND_URL = http://localhost:5173

**Frontend (.env):**

VITE_API_URL = http://localhost:5050/api

Minimum Internet Speed

- 5 Mbps download

- 2 Mbps upload