🔍 Lost and Found Portal

Overview

A full-stack web application designed to help university students post and search for lost items across campus. This platform streamlines the process of recovering lost belongings through an intuitive interface and automated notifications.

🎯 Project Goals

• Create a centralized platform for campus lost and found items
• Simplify the process of reporting and searching for lost items
• Provide real-time notifications when matching items are found
• Ensure secure user authentication and data privacy

💻 Key Features

• User Authentication: Secure login system with role-based access control
• Item Management: Create, edit, and manage lost or found item listings
• Advanced Search: Filter items by category, location, date, and keywords
• Notification System: Email and in-app alerts for potential matches
• Responsive Design: Fully optimized for mobile and desktop experiences
• Admin Dashboard: Comprehensive management tools for administrators

🛠 Technical Implementation

Frontend

• Built with React using functional components and hooks
• Implemented responsive layouts using CSS Grid and Flexbox
• Created reusable UI components with styled-components
• Used React Router for seamless navigation between views

Backend

• Developed RESTful API using Node.js and Express
• Implemented JWT authentication for secure user sessions
• Designed SQL database schema with proper relations and constraints
• Created middleware for input validation and error handling

DevOps

• Containerized application using Docker for consistent environments
• Implemented CI/CD pipeline with GitHub Actions
• Configured automated testing to ensure code quality

📊 Architecture Diagram

The application follows a three-tier architecture:

🔧 Technologies Used

• Frontend: React, React Router, Redux, Material-UI
• Backend: Node.js, Express, JSON Web Tokens
• Database: MySQL, Sequelize ORM
• DevOps: Docker, GitHub Actions, AWS
• Tools: Git, Figma, Postman

📱 UI Screenshots

Dashboard View

Item Detail View

🔄 Project Workflow

• Started with user research and creating wireframes in Figma
• Developed database schema and API specifications
• Implemented core features with iterative testing
• Conducted usability testing with university students
• Deployed to production with monitoring and analytics

🚀 Future Enhancements

• Image recognition AI to help match similar items
• Integration with university ID systems
• Mobile app development using React Native
• Analytics dashboard for insight into common lost items

🧠 Lessons Learned

• Importance of user-centered design in application development
• Benefits of containerization for streamlining deployment
• Effective strategies for state management in complex React applications
• SQL query optimization for improved performance