Job Board Application

A full-stack job board platform featuring role-based access control, file uploads, email notifications, and a dual-dashboard interface for Employers and Candidates.

🚀 Features

• Authentication: JWT-based auth with Role-Based Access Control (Employer/Candidate).
• Job Management: Create, update, delete, and search jobs (Full-text search & filters).
• Application Tracking:
  • Candidates: Apply via PDF resume (stored on Cloudinary) and track status on a Kanban board.
  • Employers: View applicants, download secure resumes, and update status (Screening → Offer).
• Notifications: Automated emails via Nodemailer when applications are received or status changes.
• Security: Password hashing, CORS, and protected API routes.

🛠️ Tech Stack

• Backend: Node.js, Express.js, TypeScript
• Database: MongoDB (Mongoose)
• Frontend: React, Vite, TailwindCSS, Shadcn/UI
• Storage: Cloudinary (Resumes)
• Deploy: Vercel (Frontend) and Render (Backend)

⚙️ Setup Instructions

1. Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18+)
• MongoDB Connection String
• Cloudinary Account

2. Installation

Backend:

cd server
npm install
# Create .env file (see below)
npm run dev

Frontend:

# from the root
npm install
npm run dev

3. Environment Variables (.env)

Create a .env file in the server folder:

PORT=5000
MONGO_URI=mongodb-atlas-url
JWT_SECRET=your_secret_key
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=cloud_name
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=key
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=secret
SMTP_EMAIL=audrey29@ethereal.email
SMTP_PASSWORD=password

Note: When running frontend locally use

baseURL: 'http://localhost:5000/api',

in src/lib/axios.tsx file.

🧪 Testing Guide (Postman)

A complete Postman Collection is included in the root directory: aniket_postman_collection.json.

Import Instructions:

1. Open Postman → Import → Upload postman_collection.json.
2. The collection uses a variable {{url}} which defaults to http://localhost:5000/api.
3. After logging in, copy the token from the response and paste it into the Collection Variables "current value" for token.

Test Credentials

Note: You can either use these to test or you can Register and Login your own Candidate and Employer.

| Role       | Email                 | Password    |
|------------|-----------------------|-------------|
| Employer   | emp-1@test.com        | 123         |
| Candidate  | john@test.com         | 987         |

📂 Project Architecture

├──/                    # React Frontend (root)
│   ├── src/components/  # Reusable UI components           
│   ├── src/context/      # Auth State Management
│   ├── src/lib/        # axios, utils
│   └── src/pages/    # Dashboard, Jobs, Login pages
├── server/             # Node.js Backend
│   ├── src/models/     # Mongoose Schemas (User, Job, Application)
│   ├── src/controllers/# Business Logic
│   ├── src/routes/     # API Endpoints
│   └── src/middleware/ # Auth & Upload Middleware
│   └── src/utils/      # email service
├── aniket_postman_collection.json  # postman collection
└── README.md

API Endpoints

Authentication

• POST /api/auth/register - Register a new user (Employer or Candidate)
• POST /api/auth/login - Login and receive a JWT token
• GET /api/auth/me - Get current logged-in user details

Jobs

• GET /api/jobs - Get all jobs (supports search, filters, pagination)
• GET /api/jobs/:id - Get details of a specific job
• POST /api/jobs - Create a new job posting (Employer only)
• PUT /api/jobs/:id - Update a job posting (Employer only)
• DELETE /api/jobs/:id - Delete a job posting (Employer only)
• GET /api/jobs/employer/jobs - Get all jobs posted by the current employer
• GET /api/jobs/:id/applications - Get all applications for a specific job (Employer only)

Applications

• POST /api/applications - Apply to a job with a resume (Candidate only)
• GET /api/applications/my - Get all applications for the logged-in candidate
• GET /api/applications/employer - Get all applications received by the logged-in employer
• PUT /api/applications/:id/status - Update application status (e.g., Interview, Offer) (Employer only)
• PUT /api/applications/:id/withdraw - Withdraw an application (Candidate only)

⚠️ Known Limitations & Future Improvements

While this application meets all core functional requirements, the following limitations exist due to time constraints and the nature of a hackathon/demo environment:

1. Email Delivery (Demo Mode)

• The application currently uses Ethereal Email (fake SMTP service) for testing purposes.
• Emails are not delivered to real inboxes. You must check the server console logs for the "Preview URL" to view sent emails.
• Future Fix: Integrate SendGrid or AWS SES for production email delivery.

2. Server Spin-Down (Render Free Tier)

• The backend is hosted on Render's free tier, which spins down after 15 minutes of inactivity.
• The first request might take 30–50 seconds to load while the server wakes up. Please be patient on the initial login.

3. Salary Filtering Strategy

• The salary filter relies on parsing numeric values from the input string (e.g., "$100k+").

4. Real-Time Updates

• If an employer updates a status, the candidate must refresh the page to see the change on their Kanban board.

5. Data Persistence

• Withdrawing an application permanently deletes the record from the database rather than marking it as withdrawn.