CampusConnect 🎓

The elite Kenyan university super app for social buzz, safety-verified off-campus housing discovery, student marketplace, course groups, and a smart AI advisor.

CampusConnect is designed as a highly scalable, production-grade web application built using React (with TypeScript & Tailwind CSS), a robust custom Node/Express backend server with Gemini AI integration, and fully configured for Supabase Cloud PostgreSQL Database & Authentication (supporting direct migration and Vercel deployment).

• 🗺️ Campus Map & Navigation: Uses standard Leaflet.js with high-contrast OpenStreetMap and Esri Satellite imagery, incorporating the OpenRouteService (ORS) API for real-time pedestrian/walking route distance and time estimation (including custom university gates like Maseno Siriba Gate).
• 🗣️ Comrade Buzz Feed (Social): A secure, server-rendered community microblog feed where students can view posts, leave comments, like articles, and post anonymously or with real profiles.
• 🏠 House Hunt (Hostel Discovery): Multi-filter hostel explorer with precise map markers, real landlord listings, reviews, amenities, pricing trackers, and offline storage failovers.
• 🛍️ Student Marketplace: Product marketplace allowing comrades to list pre-loved products, filter by category and university campus, rate seller reliability (Trust Scores), and start instant chats.
• 📅 Campus Events Calendar: Integrated event manager for academic sessions, social gigs, career fairs, and hackathons, complete with RSVP status and dynamic calendar bookmarks.
• 🤖 Comrade Companion (AI Advisor): Server-side context-aware AI chat integrated with Gemini API via the @google/genai TypeScript SDK, providing offline hacks, transit routes, budget advisors, and course survival tips.
• 💬 Direct Messaging: Realtime instant chat channels between peers with active session logging, unread notifications, and image upload options.
• 🔒 Hidden Admin Moderation Panel: Protected dashboard enabling authorized admin accounts to manage active users, evaluate reports, verify landlords, and inspect systemic analytics.

• Frontend: React (Vite-powered, TSX), Tailwind CSS, Lucide Icons, Framer Motion
• Backend / Proxy: Express, TypeScript, tsx, esbuild
• Database: Supabase PostgreSQL with fully configured Row Level Security (RLS) policies
• Auth: Supabase Authentication (OAuth / Google, Email/Password)
• AI Engine: @google/genai (Gemini-2.5-flash)

All tables are defined in /supabase/migrations/20260625000000_init_schema.sql with strict foreign key constraints, default timestamps, indices, and Row Level Security policies.

• universities: Predefined universities with geographic center-points and verified domain lists.
• users: Core profile registration, linked with Supabase's auth.users schema.
• posts / comments / likes: Microblogging system.
• hostels / hostel_images / hostel_reviews / saved_hostels: Off-campus hostel housing directory.
• marketplace_listings / saved_items: Peer-to-peer student storefront.
• conversations / direct_messages: Interactive realtime instant messaging.
• events / event_attendees / saved_events: Campus and local student event calendars.
• notifications: Activity indicators.
• reports: Content flagging for admins.

Create a .env file in the root directory and add the following keys:

# Gemini API credentials
GEMINI_API_KEY="YOUR_GEMINI_API_KEY"

# OpenRouteService API (optional for mapping/routing)
VITE_ORS_API_KEY="YOUR_ORS_API_KEY"

# Supabase Credentials (for live cloud database)
VITE_SUPABASE_URL="YOUR_SUPABASE_URL"
VITE_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY="YOUR_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY"

npm install

Deploy the database schema to your Supabase instance:

• Go to the Supabase Dashboard -> SQL Editor.
• Copy the contents of supabase/migrations/20260625000000_init_schema.sql and run it.
• To pre-populate initial university data, copy the contents of supabase/seed.sql and run it.

npm run dev

The server will boot on http://localhost:3000.

CampusConnect can be deployed on Vercel as a full-stack Node + Vite or as a single-page application.

1. Import Repository: Connect your repository to Vercel.
2. Environment Variables: Add VITE_SUPABASE_URL and VITE_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY as production environment variables.
3. Build Settings:
   • Build Command: npm run build
   • Output Directory: dist