PulseSquare

Discover trusted local services anywhere — powered by community reviews.

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Overview

PulseSquare is a MERN-based platform that helps users find reliable local services when traveling or moving to new places. It centralizes scattered information so users can easily search, compare, and review local businesses — especially those that are not listed online.

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Problem

People struggle to discover trusted services because:

• Online info is scattered and unreliable
• Word-of-mouth recommendations are inconsistent
• Small-town businesses often don’t exist online at all

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Solution

PulseSquare solves this by letting users:

• Search for services (e.g., "best barber near me")
• Read verified ratings & reviews
• Add new businesses to the platform
• Access location, price ranges, and contact details instantly

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Tech Stack

Frontend

• React
• TailwindCSS / Material UI
• Axios
• React Router

Backend

• Node.js
• Express.js
• MongoDB + Mongoose
• JWT Authentication

Deployment

• Backend → Render / Railway
• Frontend → Vercel / Netlify
• Database → MongoDB Atlas

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Core Features (MVP)

• Service search (name, category, location)
• Business listing pages with filters
• Business profile pages with details + map/location
• User reviews & ratings system
• Add new businesses
• (Optional) User authentication for posting reviews

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Project Structure

PulseSquare/
│
├── client/            # React frontend
│   ├── src/
│   ├── public/
│   └── package.json
│
├── server/            # Node + Express backend
│   ├── controllers/
│   ├── models/
│   ├── routes/
│   ├── config/
│   ├── app.js
│   └── package.json
│
└── README.md

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API Endpoints

Businesses

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/businesses	Get all / search businesses
GET	/api/businesses/:id	Get single business
POST	/api/businesses	Add new business

Reviews

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/businesses/:id/reviews	Get reviews for a business
POST	/api/businesses/:id/review	Add a review

Auth

Method	Endpoint
POST	/api/auth/register
POST	/api/auth/login

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Installation & Setup

1. Clone repo

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

2. Install client dependencies

cd client
npm install

3. Install server dependencies

cd ../server
npm install

4. Create a .env file inside /server

MONGO_URI=your_mongo_connection_string
JWT_SECRET=your_secret_key
PORT=5000

5. Start development servers

Client:

cd client
npm start

Server:

cd server
npm run dev

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Deployment

Backend (Render / Railway)

1. Connect GitHub repo
2. Add environment variables
3. Deploy automatically

Frontend (Vercel / Netlify)

1. Import client folder
2. Set API base URL in .env
3. Build & deploy

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Contributing

Contributions, issues, and ideas are welcome! Fork the repo → Create a branch → Submit a PR.

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🛡 License

Distributed under the MIT License.