🚀 GigFlow – Full Stack Freelance Marketplace

GigFlow is a mini freelance marketplace platform where users can post jobs (gigs), bid on jobs, and hire freelancers.

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📌 Features

🔐 Authentication

• Secure user registration and login
• JWT-based authentication using Authorization headers
• Protected routes for authenticated users
• Token stored securely in browser localStorage

📄 Gig Management

• Create gigs with title, description, and budget
• Browse all open gigs
• Automatic gig status update after hiring

💬 Bidding System

• Freelancers can submit bids with message and price
• Gig owners can view all bids
• Only the gig owner can hire a freelancer

🔥 Hiring Logic (Core Feature)

• Only one freelancer can be hired per gig
• Selected bid is marked as hired
• All other bids are automatically marked as rejected
• Implemented using MongoDB Transactions to prevent race conditions

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🛠 Tech Stack

Frontend

• React.js (Vite)
• Tailwind CSS
• Axios
• React Router

Backend

• Node.js
• Express.js
• MongoDB with Mongoose
• JWT Authentication (Authorization Header)
• Socket.IO

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🗂 Project Structure

GigFlow
├── backend
│ ├── controllers
│ ├── models
│ ├── routes
│ ├── middleware
│ ├── server.js
│ └── .env.example
│
├── frontend
│ ├── src
│ │ ├── pages
│ │ ├── components
│ │ ├── context
│ │ ├── services
│ │ └── App.jsx
│ └── .env
│
└── README.md

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⚙️ Environment Variables

Backend (.env.example)

PORT=5000
MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
JWT_SECRET=your_secret_key

Frontend (.env)

VITE_API_URL=https://gigflow-backend-0wih.onrender.com/api

⚠️ Frontend .env files are not committed to GitHub.
Environment variables are configured directly in the deployment platform.

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🚀 How to Run the Project Locally

1️⃣ Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/smttomar/gigflow.git
cd gigflow

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2️⃣ Backend Setup

cd backend
npm install
npm run dev

Backend runs on:
http://localhost:5000

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3️⃣ Frontend Setup

cd frontend
npm install
npm run dev

Frontend runs on:
http://localhost:5173

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🧪 Application Flow

1. Register two users (Client and Freelancer)
2. Login as Client → Create a gig
3. Login as Freelancer → Submit a bid
4. Login as Client → View bids → Hire freelancer
5. Gig status updates automatically

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🧠 Key Learnings

• JWT-based authentication without cookies
• Secure route protection using middleware
• MongoDB schema relationships
• Transaction-safe business logic
• Clean frontend-backend separation
• Production-ready deployment practice

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👨‍💻 Author

Chandra Pratap Singh

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✅ Final Note

This project follows modern full stack development best practices and demonstrates real-world implementation of authentication, authorization, database transactions, and scalable REST API design.