💎 SkillMint

The Elite Student Freelance Marketplace — a premium platform designed specifically for students to showcase their skills, build a professional brand, and connect with global opportunities.

SkillMint: Connecting fresh student talent with global opportunities dynamically and securely. 🚀

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📌 Problem

For many students, their academic skills (coding, design, writing, etc.) often remain untapped potential. Traditional freelance platforms are overcrowded, competitive for beginners, and don't cater specifically to the student-hustle culture. At the same time, clients and startups are constantly looking for fresh, affordable student talent but lack a dedicated space to find and manage them effectively.

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🚀 Solution

SkillMint bridges this gap by providing a high-end, efficient, and student-focused marketplace that:

• Empowers students to monetize their university skills
• Allows clients to discover and hire top-tier student talent
• Facilitates real-time collaboration through integrated chat
• Ensures a secure and structured workflow from gig creation to order completion
• Features Google Authentication for seamless and secure access
• Provides dedicated dashboards for both freelancers and buyers

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🔥 Key Features

👨‍🎓 Freelancers (Students)

• ✅ Google Auth Integration: Quick and secure sign-in
• 🎨 Professional Profiles: Showcase your skills, bio, and stats
• 💼 Gig Management: Create, edit, and manage your service listings
• 💬 Real-Time Chat: Direct communication with potential clients via Socket.io
• 📊 Freelancer Dashboard: Track your orders, active gigs, and earnings
• ✨ Premium UI: Sleek, modern interface built for a premium feel

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🏛️ Buyers (Clients)

• 🔍 Browse Marketplace: Discover high-quality gigs across various categories
• 📝 Post Requests: Call for specific services and let students find you
• 🛒 Order Management: Securely place and track your orders
• 👥 Direct Messaging: Chat with freelancers before and after placing an order
• 📂 Buyer Dashboard: Manage all your active and past requests/orders

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💻 Tech Stack

Layer	Technology
Frontend	React (Vite), Tailwind CSS, Framer Motion, Lucide React
Backend	Node.js, Express.js, Socket.io (Real-time)
Auth	Google OAuth (@react-oauth/google)
Database	Supabase (PostgreSQL), Prisma ORM
Hosting	Vercel (Frontend), Render (Backend)
Dev Tools	ESLint, npm Workspaces (Monorepo)

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🔧 Getting Started

To run the project locally, follow these steps:

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/ramanverse/SkillMint.git
   cd SkillMint

2. Install all dependencies (from the root)

   npm run install-all

3. Setup Environment Variables Create a .env file in the backend/ directory with the following:

   DATABASE_URL="your_supabase_postgresql_url"
   JWT_SECRET="your_secret_key"
   CLIENT_URL="http://localhost:5173"
   NODE_ENV=development

4. Initialize Database (Prisma)

   cd backend
   npx prisma generate

5. Start Development Return to the root and run:

   npm run dev

   The project will start both the frontend (Port 5173) and backend (Port 5000) concurrently.

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🛠️ Project Objectives

• Create a dedicated economy for student-led services
• Provide a premium, high-trust environment for freelancers and clients
• Simplify the transition from classroom skills to professional work
• Leverage modern real-time technology for seamless collaboration

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Elevate your academic hustle with SkillMint. 🚀