README.md

🧵 Threadly — Pre-loved Fashion Marketplace

"Wear it again, wear it well."

Threadly is a full-stack sustainable fashion marketplace where users can buy, sell, and swap pre-loved clothing. Built with React + Node.js, it features real-time chat, AI-assisted listing creation, Stripe payments, and a unique item-swap system.

🌐 Live Demo: threadly-liart.vercel.app
🔧 Backend API: threadly-eigu.onrender.com

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✨ Features

Feature	Description
🛍️ Buy & Sell	List pre-loved clothes with AI-generated descriptions
🔄 Swap System	Propose item-for-item swaps — no money needed
💬 Real-time Chat	Socket.IO powered messaging between buyers and sellers
🔐 Auth	JWT access tokens + httpOnly refresh token cookies
📧 Forgot Password	Secure email reset flow via Gmail SMTP (Nodemailer)
❤️ Wishlist	Save favourite listings
⭐ Reviews	Seller trust scores built from verified buyer reviews
💳 Stripe Payments	Secure checkout with Stripe
🔔 Notifications	Real-time in-app notifications
🤖 AI Listings	Gemini AI assists with listing title & description
👑 Admin Panel	Manage users and listings

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🛠️ Tech Stack

Frontend

• React 18 + Vite
• Redux Toolkit — auth state management
• React Router v6 — client-side routing
• Axios — API client with auto token refresh
• Socket.IO Client — real-time chat
• Stripe.js — payment UI
• Tailwind CSS — utility-first styling
• React Hot Toast — notifications

Backend

• Node.js + Express 5
• MongoDB + Mongoose
• Socket.IO — real-time events
• JWT — access & refresh token auth
• Nodemailer — transactional email
• Cloudinary — image storage
• Stripe — payment processing
• Google Gemini AI — listing assistant
• Helmet + CORS — security

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📁 Project Structure

project1/
├── server/                  # Node.js Express backend
│   ├── controllers/         # Route handlers (auth, listings, swaps...)
│   ├── models/              # Mongoose schemas
│   ├── routes/              # Express routers
│   ├── middleware/          # Auth, error handling
│   ├── services/            # Notification, email services
│   ├── socket/              # Socket.IO chat handler
│   ├── utils/               # Token generation, helpers
│   └── server.js            # Entry point
│
└── threadly/                # React frontend
    ├── src/
    │   ├── pages/           # Route-level components
    │   │   ├── Auth/        # Login, Register, ForgotPassword, ResetPassword
    │   │   ├── Home.jsx
    │   │   ├── Explore.jsx
    │   │   ├── ListingDetail.jsx
    │   │   ├── SwapPropose.jsx
    │   │   ├── BuyerDashboard.jsx
    │   │   ├── SellerDashboard.jsx
    │   │   └── ...
    │   ├── components/      # Shared UI components
    │   ├── services/        # API service functions
    │   ├── store/           # Redux store & slices
    │   └── hooks/           # Custom hooks (useSocket)
    └── public/
        └── threadly.svg     # Custom brand favicon

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🚀 Getting Started Locally

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• MongoDB Atlas account
• Cloudinary account
• Stripe account
• Gmail + App Password (for email)

1. Clone the repo

git clone https://github.com/your-username/threadly.git
cd threadly

2. Setup Backend

cd server
npm install

Create server/.env:

PORT=5000
MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
JWT_REFRESH_SECRET=your_refresh_secret
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloud_name
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your_api_key
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your_api_secret
GEMINI_API_KEY=your_gemini_key
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_...
STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_test_...
CLIENT_URL=http://localhost:5173
NODE_ENV=development
EMAIL_USER=your_gmail@gmail.com
EMAIL_PASS=your_gmail_app_password

npm run dev

3. Setup Frontend

cd ../threadly
npm install

Create threadly/.env:

VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:5000
VITE_STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_test_...

npm run dev

App runs at http://localhost:5173

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🌐 Deployment

Backend → Render

Setting	Value
Root Directory	server
Build Command	npm install
Start Command	npm start

Add all env vars from server/.env in the Render dashboard. Set CLIENT_URL to your Vercel frontend URL (no trailing slash).

Frontend → Vercel

Setting	Value
Root Directory	threadly
Framework	Vite
Build Command	npm run build
Output Directory	dist

Add in Vercel Environment Variables:

VITE_API_URL=https://your-render-api.onrender.com
VITE_STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_test_...

Note: vercel.json with URL rewrites is included for React Router support.

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🔐 Auth Flow

Register / Login
    → Access Token (localStorage, 15 min)
    → Refresh Token (httpOnly cookie, 7 days)

Every API request → Authorization: Bearer <accessToken>
On 401 → Auto-refresh via /api/auth/refresh-token

Forgot Password Flow:

Enter email → Hashed token saved to DB (15 min TTL)
           → Raw token sent via email link
User clicks link → Submits new password
               → Token validated + cleared from DB

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🔄 Swap System

Threadly's swap system allows item-for-item exchanges:

• Sellers → Select one of their active listings to offer
• Buyers (no listings) → Describe their item via freeform form
• Receiver can accept, reject, or counter with a different item
• Proposer can accept the counter or cancel

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📸 Screenshots

| Home | Explore | Swap Propose |

📝 License

MIT © 2025 Threadly — Give clothes a second life. 🧵