Vichar - Twitter Inspired Application

Overview

Vichar is a social media web application inspired by Twitter, developed as a final-year project during the academic year 2023 - 2024. Built using the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express.js, React, Node.js) along with Redux for state management and Tailwind CSS for styling, the platform offers a seamless and engaging user experience.

Features

• User Authentication: Secure authentication using Firebase.
• Freemium and Premium Memberships: Users can opt for a premium membership with enhanced features.
• Text-to-Image Generation: Premium users can generate and post images from text inputs.
• Payment Integration: Stripe.js is used for processing premium membership payments securely.
• Post Interactions: Users can like, comment, and share posts similar to Twitter.
• Profile Customization: Users can update their profiles with a bio, profile picture, and other details.
• Real-time Notifications: Users receive updates on interactions such as likes, comments, and follows.
• Search and Explore: Users can discover trending posts, hashtags, and accounts.
• Cloud Hosting:
  • Backend hosted on a cloud platform.
  • Frontend deployed using Firebase Hosting.

Technologies Used

• Frontend:
  • React.js
  • Redux (State Management)
  • Tailwind CSS (Styling)
• Backend:
  • Node.js
  • Express.js
  • MongoDB (Database)
• Authentication & Payments:
  • Firebase Authentication
  • Stripe.js (Payment Gateway)
• Hosting & Deployment:
  • Firebase Hosting (Frontend)
  • Cloud-hosted backend

Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following installed:

• Node.js
• MongoDB
• Firebase account (for authentication setup)
• Stripe account (for payments setup)

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/PiyushPb/Vichar-Twitter-inspired-application.git
cd Vichar-Twitter-inspired-application

Backend Setup

1. Navigate to the backend directory:

   cd backend

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Create a .env file and configure the following:

   MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
   FIREBASE_API_KEY=your_firebase_api_key
   STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=your_stripe_secret_key

4. Start the backend server:

   npm start

Frontend Setup

1. Navigate to the frontend directory:

   cd frontend

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Start the React development server:

   npm start

Usage

• Sign up or log in using Firebase authentication.
• Access premium features by upgrading via Stripe payments.
• Premium users can generate images from text inputs and share posts.
• Engage with posts similar to Twitter’s interaction model, including likes, comments, and shares.
• Customize your profile with a bio and profile picture.
• Receive real-time notifications for interactions.
• Explore trending content and hashtags.

Screenshots

Team Members

• Piyush Pb (GitHub Profile) (Frontend & Backend)
• Namrata Gaikwad (GitHub Profile) (ML model, Data analysis, Data cleaning, model training)

Future Enhancements

• Implement direct messaging and group chats.
• Introduce AI-powered content moderation.
• Improve scalability with microservices architecture.
• Enhance recommendation algorithms for personalized content.

License

This project is open-source and available under the MIT License.

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Feel free to contribute or provide feedback on Vichar! 🚀