📚 Library Management System

A modern, full-stack web application for managing library operations digitally. Built with React, Express.js, MongoDB, and TypeScript.

🚀 Features

👥 User Management

• Multi-role Authentication: Students, Librarians, and Admins
• Secure JWT Authentication: Password hashing with bcrypt
• Role-based Access Control: Different permissions for each user type

📖 Book Management

• Search & Filter: Find books by title, author, ISBN, or genre
• Borrowing System: Easy book reservations with due dates
• Librarian Tools: Add, edit, and delete books
• Availability Tracking: Real-time availability status

📊 Analytics & Recommendations

• Popularity Tracking: Books ranked by borrowing frequency
• Smart Recommendations: Discover trending books
• Borrowing History: Track personal and all borrowing records

🎨 Modern UI/UX

• Responsive Design: Works on all devices
• Beautiful Interface: Gradient designs and smooth animations
• Intuitive Navigation: Clean, professional layout

🛠️ Tech Stack

Frontend

• React 19 - Modern React with hooks
• TypeScript - Type-safe development
• Vite - Fast build tool and dev server
• Tailwind CSS - Utility-first CSS framework
• React Router - Client-side routing
• Axios - HTTP client for API calls
• Heroicons - Beautiful SVG icons

Backend

• Express.js - Node.js web framework
• TypeScript - Type-safe server code
• MongoDB - NoSQL database
• Mongoose - MongoDB object modeling
• JWT - JSON Web Token authentication
• bcryptjs - Password hashing

Development Tools

• pnpm - Fast package manager
• ESLint - Code linting
• Prettier - Code formatting

📋 Prerequisites

Before running this application, make sure you have:

• Node.js (v18 or higher)
• MongoDB (local or cloud instance)
• pnpm (recommended) or npm

🚀 Quick Start

One-Command Setup & Run

git clone <repository-url>
cd library-management-system
pnpm install
pnpm run build  # Build both frontend and backend
pnpm run seed   # Add sample books (optional)
pnpm start      # Start the server

Visit: http://localhost:5000

🚀 Installation & Setup

1. Clone the Repository

git clone <repository-url>
cd library-management-system

2. Install Dependencies

Backend

cd backend
pnpm install

Frontend

cd ../frontend
pnpm install

3. Environment Configuration

Backend (.env)

Create backend/.env file:

MONGO_DB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/library-management
# OR for MongoDB Atlas:
# MONGO_DB_URI=mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster.mongodb.net/library-management

JWT_SECRET=your_super_secure_jwt_secret_here
PORT=5000

MongoDB Setup

• Local MongoDB: Install and start MongoDB locally
• MongoDB Atlas: Create a free cluster and get connection string

4. Seed Database (Optional)

Add sample books to get started:

cd backend
pnpm run seed

5. Start the Application

Single Command (Recommended)

# Build frontend and start backend (serves both API and frontend)
cd backend
pnpm build
pnpm start

App runs on: http://localhost:5000

Alternative: Development Mode

If you need hot-reloading during development:

# Terminal 1: Backend API only
cd backend
pnpm dev

# Terminal 2: Frontend dev server
cd frontend
pnpm dev

📖 Usage

User Roles & Permissions

👨‍🎓 Student

• Browse and search books
• Borrow available books
• View borrowing history
• See book recommendations

👩‍🏫 Librarian

• All student permissions
• Add new books to collection
• Edit existing book information
• Delete books from system
• View all borrowing records
• Process book returns

👨‍💼 Admin

• All librarian permissions
• Manage user accounts (create/edit/delete)
• System administration
• User role management

Getting Started

1. Register/Login: Create an account or sign in
2. Browse Books: Use search and filters to find books
3. Borrow Books: Click "Borrow Book" on available titles
4. Manage Library (Librarians/Admins): Use management tools
5. Track History: View your borrowing records

📁 Project Structure

library-management-system/
├── backend/                    # Express.js API server
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── middleware/         # Authentication middleware
│   │   ├── models/            # MongoDB schemas
│   │   ├── routes/            # API endpoints
│   │   └── server.ts          # Main server file
│   ├── package.json
│   ├── tsconfig.json
│   └── seed.js               # Database seeding script
├── frontend/                  # React application
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── pages/            # React components/pages
│   │   ├── App.tsx           # Main app component
│   │   └── main.tsx          # App entry point
│   ├── package.json
│   ├── tailwind.config.js    # Tailwind configuration
│   └── vite.config.ts        # Vite configuration
├── README.md                 # This file
└── plan.md                   # Project planning document

🔌 API Endpoints

Authentication

• POST /api/auth/register - User registration
• POST /api/auth/login - User login
• GET /api/auth/me - Get current user info

Books

• GET /api/books - Get all books (with search/filter)
• GET /api/books/:id - Get book by ID
• POST /api/books - Create new book (librarian/admin)
• PUT /api/books/:id - Update book (librarian/admin)
• DELETE /api/books/:id - Delete book (librarian/admin)
• GET /api/books/recommendations - Get recommended books

Borrowings

• POST /api/borrowings/borrow - Borrow a book
• POST /api/borrowings/return/:id - Return a book (librarian/admin)
• GET /api/borrowings/my - Get user's borrowing history
• GET /api/borrowings - Get all borrowings (librarian/admin)

Users (Admin only)

• GET /api/users - Get all users
• POST /api/users - Create user
• PUT /api/users/:id - Update user
• DELETE /api/users/:id - Delete user

🧪 Testing

Manual Testing

1. Create Users: Register with different roles
2. Add Books: Use librarian account to add books
3. Borrow Books: Test borrowing functionality
4. Search/Filter: Test search and genre filtering
5. Admin Panel: Test user management features

Sample Test Data

The seed script provides 12 sample books across various genres:

• Harry Potter (Fantasy)
• 1984 (Dystopian)
• The Great Gatsby (Fiction)
• Pride and Prejudice (Romance)
• And more...

🚀 Deployment

Vercel Deployment (Recommended)

This project is configured for easy deployment on Vercel with automatic pnpm support:

1. Install Vercel CLI:

   npm install -g vercel
   # OR
   pnpm add -g vercel

2. Deploy:

   pnpm run deploy
   # OR
   vercel --prod

   Note: Vercel automatically handles pnpm installation and the full build process.

3. Set Environment Variables in Vercel:

   MONGO_DB_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
   JWT_SECRET=your_secure_jwt_secret
   NODE_ENV=production

4. Seed Database (Optional): After deployment, you can seed the database by calling:

   POST https://your-app-url.vercel.app/api/seed
   

Manual Deployment

Backend Deployment

cd backend
pnpm build
pnpm start

Frontend Deployment

cd frontend
pnpm build
# Deploy the 'dist' folder to your hosting service

Environment Variables for Production

NODE_ENV=production
MONGO_DB_URI=your_production_mongodb_uri
JWT_SECRET=your_secure_production_jwt_secret

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🆘 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Backend won't start:

• Check MongoDB connection
• Verify environment variables
• Ensure port 5000 is available

Frontend build fails:

• Run pnpm install in frontend directory
• Check Node.js version (should be v18+)

Authentication issues:

• Clear browser localStorage
• Check JWT_SECRET in .env

Database connection:

• Ensure MongoDB is running
• Verify connection string in .env

📞 Support

For support, please open an issue in the GitHub repository or contact the development team.

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Built with ❤️ for modern library management