Clear My Space

ClearMySpace is an online platform designed to help individuals declutter their homes and sell unwanted items to others who may be looking for them. By listing items on ClearMySpace, users can connect with buyers in their area and exchange goods in a safe and convenient way. ClearMySpace provides a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to list, browse, and purchase items, as well as features such as reviews and ratings to ensure trust and transparency in the exchange process. With ClearMySpace, users can simplify their lives, earn extra cash, and promote a more sustainable and eco-friendly way of living.

TECHNOLOGIES

1. Python: programming language
2. Flask: a web framework for Python
3. MySQL: relational database management system
4. SQLAlchemy: Python SQL toolkit and ORM
5. HTML, CSS javascript, jQuery (and/or ReactJS): front-end

Alternative options considered:

Database: Mysql vs PostgreSQL The trade-offs between MySQL and PostgreSQL are mainly related to the specific needs of the project. MySQL is often favored for its ease of use, speed, and scalability. It also has a strong community and many third-party tools available. PostgreSQL, on the other hand, is known for its robustness, reliability, and advanced features. Ultimately, we chose MySQL for this project due to its ease of use, speed, and scalability, which are important factors in building an e-commerce API. Additionally, we had prior experience with MySQL and felt comfortable working with it.

Web framework: Flask vs Django Flask is a lightweight and flexible micro-framework that is well-suited for small to medium-sized web applications. Additionally, we had prior experience with Flask and felt comfortable working with it.

CHALLENGE

ClearMySpace is intended to solve the problem of clutter in people's homes. Many individuals have unwanted items in their homes that take up valuable space, cause stress, and contribute to waste.

ClearMySpace provides a platform for individuals to declutter their homes and sell unwanted items to others who may be looking for them, thereby reducing waste and promoting a more sustainable and eco-friendly way of living.

ClearMySpace is not intended to solve larger social or environmental issues such as poverty or climate change. It is also not intended to be a solution for individuals who are hoarding or have a compulsive shopping disorder.

The ClearMySpace project will help individuals who are looking to declutter their homes and sell unwanted items. It will also help buyers who are looking for specific items at a lower cost than buying them new.

While ClearMySpace can be used by anyone, it may be more relevant or useful in areas with a higher population density or a culture of buying and selling second-hand items. However, the platform can be used by anyone with an internet connection and access to the app or website.

TEAM

1. Team Member 1: Abraham OLAGUNJU - Full-Stack Developer
2. Team Member 2: Chukwudi ONYENIKE - DevOps Engineer

Read More About the project here!

Clone the Repository

1. Open your terminal or command prompt.
2. Change the directory to the location where you want to clone the repository.
3. Run the following command to clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/OluwaninsolaAO/clearmyspace.git

1. Wait for the cloning process to complete. Once finished, you will have a local copy of the repository on your machine.

Install Dependencies

Ensure you have installed the following packages relevant to this project depending on which operating system you are using:

1. MySQL Client
2. Python3 & pip3
3. NodeJS
4. Nginx

Once all the requirements above are satisfied, proceed to installing python's dependencies, use the following command from your terminal at the project's root directory:

pip3 install -r requirements.txt

Set up MySQL Database with required credentials

To setup and configure MySQL database, user and all required permissions, use the following command from the terminal at the project's root directory:

cat cms_db_user_setup.sql | mysql -u root -p

!important: it is important to first inspect the sql script and modify all named fields or use the defaults. ;) As the named fields will be part of what will form your environment variables while starting or deploying the application on a server.

If root is not your default mysql username, feel free to update the command.

Start API flask server

From the project's root directory run the following command to start the Flask server using the following command conatining all necessary and required environment variables:

CMS_MYSQL_USER=cms_dev CMS_MYSQL_PWD=cms_dev_pwd CMS_MYSQL_HOST=localhost CMS_MYSQL_DB=cms_dev_db API_SECRET_KEY='af4929f813c57dab0a59c8b5ef21424e22ae6b6b9d2b42545f2026f7db038f33' python3 -m api.v1.app

Start NodeJS (ReactJS) Application Server

Change your directry to the front-end directory, first install all npm dependencies (npm install) then start the application (npm start)

npm install
...
npm start

Enjoy!