🏠 RentSphere

A secure, feature-rich online rental marketplace connecting users directly for tech equipment and item rentals.

🌟 Features

Core Functionality

• 📦 Rental Marketplace - Browse, search, and rent items with detailed listings
• 🗺️ Location-Based Search - Interactive map with nearby rentals
• 💬 Real-Time Messaging - Direct communication between renters and listers
• 📸 Image Management - Google Drive integration with 2TB storage
• 🔐 Secure Authentication - Passport.js with local and OAuth strategies

Advanced Features

• 🚚 Delivery System

  • Home delivery or self-pickup options
  • Real-time delivery tracking with status updates
  • Distance-based cost calculation
  • Automatic status progression (shipped → en route → delivered)

• ⭐ Dual Rating System

  • Delivery ratings (delivery speed, item condition, communication)
  • Owner ratings (overall experience)
  • Aggregate ratings displayed on listings

• 💳 Payment Processing

  • Rental payments with platform fee (10%)
  • Delivery fee handling
  • Transaction receipts

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js >= 18.0.0
• PostgreSQL 14+
• Google Drive OAuth credentials (for image storage)

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/SmeetPatil/rent-sphere.git
   cd rent-sphere

2. Install dependencies

   # Install backend dependencies
   npm install
   
   # Install frontend dependencies
   cd client
   npm install
   cd ..

3. Configure environment variables

   Create a .env file in the root directory:

   # Database
   DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@host:port/database
   
   # Session
   SESSION_SECRET=your-session-secret
   
   # Google Drive OAuth (for image storage)
   GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id
   GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=your-client-secret
   GOOGLE_REFRESH_TOKEN=your-refresh-token
   
   # Server
   PORT=8085

4. Initialize the database

   node setup/initdb.js
   node setup/rental-tables-setup.js
   node setup/messaging-tables.js

5. Run the application

   # Development mode (with hot reload)
   npm run dev
   
   # Production mode
   npm run project

6. Access the application

   • Frontend: http://localhost:8085
   • Backend API: http://localhost:8085/api

📁 Project Structure

rent-sphere/
├── client/                 # React frontend
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── components/    # React components
│   │   │   ├── Dashboard/
│   │   │   ├── Messaging/
│   │   │   └── Rentals/   # Rental, delivery, rating components
│   │   └── App.js
│   └── build/             # Production build
├── routes/                # Express API routes
│   ├── api.routes.js
│   ├── auth.routes.js
│   ├── delivery-rating.routes.js
│   ├── image.routes.js
│   ├── messaging.routes.js
│   └── rental.routes.js
├── auth/                  # Authentication logic
│   ├── passport.js
│   └── userService.js
├── middleware/            # Express middleware
├── services/              # Business logic
│   ├── googleDriveService.js
│   └── simpleImageService.js
├── setup/                 # Database setup scripts
├── public/               # Static files
└── server.js             # Express server entry point

🔧 Tech Stack

Backend

• Runtime: Node.js
• Framework: Express.js
• Database: PostgreSQL (Neon)
• Authentication: Passport.js
• Session Management: express-session
• File Upload: Multer
• Storage: Google Drive API

Frontend

• Framework: React
• Routing: React Router
• HTTP Client: Axios
• Maps: Leaflet (OpenStreetMap)
• Styling: CSS3

📖 API Documentation

Authentication

• POST /api/auth/register - User registration
• POST /api/auth/login - User login
• POST /api/auth/logout - User logout

Rentals

• GET /api/rentals - Get all listings
• GET /api/rental/:id - Get listing details
• POST /api/rentals - Create new listing
• PUT /api/rentals/:id - Update listing
• DELETE /api/rentals/:id - Delete listing
• POST /api/rental-requests - Create rental request

Delivery & Tracking

• POST /api/calculate-delivery-cost - Calculate delivery cost
• POST /api/choose-delivery-option - Select delivery method
• POST /api/pay-delivery - Process delivery payment
• GET /api/delivery-tracking/:requestId - Get tracking info
• GET /api/simulate-delivery-progress - Update delivery statuses

Ratings

• POST /api/rental-requests/:id/rate - Submit delivery rating
• POST /api/rental-requests/:id/rate-owner - Submit owner rating
• GET /api/listings/:id/delivery-ratings - Get listing ratings

Messaging

• GET /api/conversations - Get user conversations
• GET /api/conversations/:id/messages - Get messages
• POST /api/messages - Send message

🛠️ Development

Running Tests

# Test database connection
node setup/test-connection.js

# Reset delivery data (for testing)
node setup/reset-delivery-payments.js

Building for Production

# Build frontend
cd client
npm run build

# Start production server
npm start

🔐 Google Drive Setup

RentSphere uses Google Drive for image storage with OAuth2 authentication.

1. Create Google Cloud Project

   • Go to Google Cloud Console
   • Create a new project
   • Enable Google Drive API

2. Create OAuth Credentials

   • Go to "Credentials" section
   • Create OAuth 2.0 Client ID
   • Add authorized redirect URIs
   • Download credentials

3. Get Refresh Token

   node services/get-refresh-token.js

4. Update .env file

   GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id
   GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=your-client-secret
   GOOGLE_REFRESH_TOKEN=your-refresh-token

📊 Database Schema

Key Tables

• users - User accounts and authentication
• listings - Rental item listings
• rental_requests - Rental bookings and transactions
• delivery_events - Delivery tracking history
• delivery_ratings - Delivery experience ratings
• user_ratings - Owner/renter ratings
• conversations - Messaging conversations
• messages - Chat messages

See OVERVIEW.md for detailed schema documentation.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

📄 License

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

👤 Author

Smeet Patil

• GitHub: @SmeetPatil

🙏 Acknowledgments

• OpenStreetMap for map tiles
• Google Drive API for storage
• Neon for PostgreSQL hosting
• All contributors and users

📞 Support

For support, please open an issue on GitHub or contact the maintainer.

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Made with ❤️ by Smeet Patil