About The Project

Nivala is a MERN stack food ordering platform that connects customers with the comfort of home-cooked meals. Easily explore a wide selection of homemade food options and get them delivered to your door. Nivala emphasizes traditional, authentic meals, offering simplicity and convenience.

Explore Nivala:

• Customer Portal
• Admin Dashboard
  (Please wait until the backend wakes up, as it is deployed on Render, which automatically sends it to sleep after 15 minutes of inactivity.)

Built With

Getting Started

Follow these instructions to set up the project locally on your machine.

Prerequisites

Make sure you have the following installed on your system:

• Node.js (v14 or later)
• npm or yarn (for package management)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/VishalRMahajan/Nivala.git
   cd Nivala

2. Install dependencies for the frontend, backend, and admin dashboard:

   • For Frontend:

       cd Frontend
       npm install

   • For Backend:

       cd ../Backend
       npm install

   • For Admin Dashboard:

       cd ../Admin
       npm install

Running the Application

1. Start the Backend:

   cd Backend
   npm run server

   This will start the backend server on the specified port (default is http://localhost:4000).
   You can change the port from server.js.

2. Start the Frontend (Customer Portal):

   cd Frontend
   npm run dev

   This will start the customer-facing frontend on http://localhost:5173.

3. Start the Admin Dashboard:

   cd Admin
   npm run dev

   This will start the admin dashboard on http://localhost:5174.

Environment Variables

Each part of the project (Frontend, Backend, Admin) requires its own .env file with appropriate environment variables.

1. Backend:
   Create a .env file in the Backend folder with the following variables:

   DB_URI=your_mongo_connection_string
   JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
   

2. Frontend:
   Create a .env file in the Frontend folder with the following variables:

   VITE_BACKEND_URL=http://localhost:4000 or Your Deployed Backend URL
   

3. Admin Dashboard:
   Create a .env file in the Admin folder with the following variables:

   VITE_BACKEND_URL=http://localhost:4000 or Your Deployed Backend URL
   

Explore the App

• Frontend (Customer Portal): Open http://localhost:5173 to view the customer-facing interface.
• Admin Dashboard: Open http://localhost:5174 to view the admin interface.

How It Works

1. Sign Up: New users can create an account to get started.
2. Login: Existing users can log in to their accounts.
3. Add to Cart: After logging in, users can browse and add food items to their cart.
4. Promocode: Users can enter a promocode in the designated section to receive discounts. There are two types of coupons: percentage and fixed amount.
5. Address Form: Users fill out the address form before placing an order.
6. Order Placement: After reviewing their order, users can click on "Order." Upon successful order placement, they can view their order in the orders section.

Admin Dashboard Features

• Admins can add or delete food items and promocodes.
• Admins can set the status of orders.

Future Updates

• Profile Page: Users can manage personal details and view order history.
• Saved Addresses: Allow users to choose previously used addresses for faster checkout.
• Real-Time Delivery Tracking: Users can track their orders in real-time.
• Payment Gateway Integration: Facilitate secure payments upon acquiring an API key.
• Search Functionality: Enable users to find dishes quickly.
• User Reviews and Ratings: Customers can provide feedback on meals.
• Admin Analytics Dashboard: Insights on sales and customer behavior.

Repository Structure

The project is divided into three main parts:

1. Frontend:
   The customer-facing food ordering platform is built using React (Vite). This section handles user interactions, displaying food items, and managing the cart and checkout process.

2. Backend:
   The server-side API, built with Node.js and Express, handles data processing, database operations, and serves requests from both the frontend and admin dashboard.

3. Admin Dashboard:
   A dedicated admin interface built using React (Vite), allowing admins to manage food items, orders, and promocodes. It is connected to the backend for data management and order processing.