🌍 WanderLust

Your Gateway to Perfect Stays - Full-Stack Hotel Listing & Booking Platform

🚀 Live Demo • 📖 Documentation • 🐛 Report Bug • ✨ Request Feature

🌟 Introduction

WanderLust is a comprehensive full-stack web application that revolutionizes the hotel listing and booking experience. Designed for both travelers seeking their perfect accommodation and hotel owners wanting to showcase their properties, WanderLust provides an intuitive, secure, and feature-rich platform for seamless hospitality management.

🎯 The Problem

Finding and booking accommodations online often involves navigating complex interfaces, dealing with security concerns, and struggling with poor user experiences. Hotel owners need simple tools to manage their listings without technical expertise.

💡 Our Solution

WanderLust combines modern web technologies to create a user-friendly platform where travelers can discover perfect stays and property owners can effortlessly manage their listings. With robust authentication, cloud-based image management, and intuitive design, we make hospitality accessible to everyone.

🚀 What Makes WanderLust Unique

🔐 Secure by Design: Industry-standard authentication with Passport.js
☁️ Cloud-Powered: Cloudinary integration for optimized image delivery
📱 Mobile-First: Responsive design that works beautifully on any device
⚡ Fast & Reliable: Optimized performance with MongoDB and Express.js
🎨 Modern UI: Clean, intuitive interface built with Bootstrap 5.3.3

✨ Features

🎬 Core Features

🔐 User Authentication - Secure sign-up/login with Passport.js
🏨 Hotel Management - Create, update, and delete listings
📸 Image Upload - Cloudinary-powered image optimization
⭐ Reviews System - Share and manage guest experiences
🔍 Search & Filter - Find perfect accommodations easily
📱 Responsive Design - Seamless experience across devices

🛡️ Benefits

⚡ Lightning Fast - Optimized database queries
🔒 Secure - Password hashing and session management
🎨 Beautiful UI - Modern Bootstrap 5.3.3 design
📊 Scalable - MongoDB for flexible data management
🌐 SEO Friendly - Server-side rendering with EJS
💰 Cost-Effective - Open-source and customizable

🏗️ System Architecture

graph TB
    subgraph "Client Layer"
        A[Browser] --> B[EJS Templates]
        B --> C[Bootstrap UI]
    end
    
    subgraph "Application Layer"
        D[Express.js Server] --> E[Routes]
        E --> F[Controllers]
        F --> G[Middleware]
    end
    
    subgraph "Authentication"
        H[Passport.js] --> I[Local Strategy]
        I --> J[Session Management]
    end
    
    subgraph "Data Layer"
        K[MongoDB] --> L[User Model]
        K --> M[Listing Model]
        K --> N[Review Model]
    end
    
    subgraph "Storage"
        O[Cloudinary] --> P[Image Upload]
        P --> Q[Image Optimization]
    end
    
    A -->|HTTP Requests| D
    G -->|Authentication| H
    F -->|CRUD Operations| K
    F -->|Upload Images| O
    
    style A fill:#61dafb,stroke:#000,stroke-width:2px
    style D fill:#000000,stroke:#fff,stroke-width:2px
    style H fill:#34e27a,stroke:#000,stroke-width:2px
    style K fill:#47a248,stroke:#000,stroke-width:2px
    style O fill:#3448c5,stroke:#000,stroke-width:2px

🛠️ Tech Stack

Category	Technology	Description
Frontend		Core web technologies
Template Engine		Server-side rendering
UI Framework		Responsive design framework
Backend		JavaScript runtime
Framework		Web application framework
Database		NoSQL database
ODM		MongoDB object modeling
Authentication		Authentication middleware
Image Storage		Cloud-based image management
Session Store		MongoDB session store

📦 Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

Node.js 16.x or higher
npm or yarn package manager
MongoDB installed locally or MongoDB Atlas account
Cloudinary account (free tier available)
Git installed on your system

1️⃣ Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/VAMSHIYADAV46/WanderLust.git
cd WanderLust

2️⃣ Install Dependencies

# Install all required packages
npm install

3️⃣ Environment Configuration

Create a .env file in the root directory:

# Server Configuration
PORT=3000
NODE_ENV=development

# MongoDB Configuration
MONGO_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/wanderlust
# Or use MongoDB Atlas:
# MONGO_URI=mongodb+srv://<username>:<password>@cluster.mongodb.net/wanderlust

# Cloudinary Configuration
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloud_name
CLOUDINARY_KEY=your_cloudinary_api_key
CLOUDINARY_SECRET=your_cloudinary_api_secret

# Session Configuration
SESSION_SECRET=your_super_secret_session_key_here

# Application URL
APP_URL=http://localhost:3000

4️⃣ Database Setup

# If using local MongoDB, ensure it's running:
mongod

# The application will automatically create collections on first run

5️⃣ Cloudinary Setup

Sign up at Cloudinary
Navigate to Dashboard
Copy your Cloud Name, API Key, and API Secret
Add them to your .env file

6️⃣ Start the Application

# Development mode
npm start

# Or with nodemon for auto-restart
npm run dev

7️⃣ Access the Application

Open your browser and navigate to:

http://localhost:3000

💻 Usage Guide

For Travelers

Browse Listings 🏨
- Visit the homepage to view all available hotels
- Use search and filter options to find your perfect stay
Create Account 👤
- Click "Sign Up" to create a new account
- Provide username, email, and secure password
Book & Review ⭐
- View detailed listing information
- Add reviews to share your experience
- Rate hotels based on your stay

For Hotel Owners

Register & Login 🔐
- Create an account or log in to existing account
- Access your personal dashboard
Create Listing ➕
- Click "Add New Listing"
- Fill in hotel details (name, location, price, description)
- Upload high-quality images via Cloudinary
- Submit for immediate publication
Manage Properties ✏️
- Edit listing details anytime
- Update prices and availability
- Delete listings when needed
- Monitor guest reviews

Project Structure

WanderLust/
├── models/
│   ├── user.js          # User schema and methods
│   ├── listing.js       # Hotel listing schema
│   └── review.js        # Review schema
├── views/
│   ├── layouts/
│   │   └── boilerplate.ejs
│   ├── listings/
│   │   ├── index.ejs    # All listings
│   │   ├── show.ejs     # Single listing
│   │   ├── new.ejs      # Create listing
│   │   └── edit.ejs     # Edit listing
│   └── users/
│       ├── signup.ejs
│       └── login.ejs
├── routes/
│   ├── listings.js      # Listing routes
│   ├── reviews.js       # Review routes
│   └── users.js         # User routes
├── controllers/
│   ├── listings.js      # Listing logic
│   ├── reviews.js       # Review logic
│   └── users.js         # User logic
├── middleware/
│   ├── auth.js          # Authentication checks
│   └── validation.js    # Input validation
├── public/
│   ├── css/
│   ├── js/
│   └── images/
├── utils/
│   └── cloudinary.js    # Cloudinary configuration
├── app.js               # Main application file
├── package.json
├── .env.example
└── README.md

🔑 Key Features Explained

🔐 Authentication System

WanderLust uses Passport.js for robust authentication:

// Local Strategy Configuration
passport.use(new LocalStrategy(User.authenticate()));
passport.serializeUser(User.serializeUser());
passport.deserializeUser(User.deserializeUser());

Features:

Secure password hashing with bcrypt
Session-based authentication
Login/logout functionality
Protected routes middleware
Remember me functionality

📸 Image Management

Cloudinary integration for professional image handling:

// Cloudinary Configuration
cloudinary.config({
  cloud_name: process.env.CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME,
  api_key: process.env.CLOUDINARY_KEY,
  api_secret: process.env.CLOUDINARY_SECRET
});

Benefits:

Automatic image optimization
Responsive image delivery
CDN-powered fast loading
Thumbnail generation
Format conversion
Storage optimization

⭐ Review System

Comprehensive review and rating system:

// Review Schema
const reviewSchema = new Schema({
  rating: { type: Number, min: 1, max: 5 },
  comment: String,
  author: { type: Schema.Types.ObjectId, ref: 'User' },
  createdAt: { type: Date, default: Date.now }
});

Features:

1-5 star rating system
Text reviews
User attribution
Edit/delete own reviews
Average rating calculation

📚 Learning Outcomes

What This Project Demonstrates:

🎯 Full-Stack Development

MERN stack integration
RESTful API design
MVC architecture
Server-side rendering

🔐 Security Best Practices

Authentication & authorization
Password hashing
Session management
Input validation & sanitization

☁️ Cloud Integration

Cloudinary setup
Image upload handling
CDN utilization
Environment variables

Skills Developed:

✅ Database Design - MongoDB schema modeling and relationships
✅ User Authentication - Complete auth flow with Passport.js
✅ File Uploads - Handling multipart form data with Multer
✅ Cloud Storage - Integrating third-party services
✅ Responsive Design - Bootstrap 5.3.3 implementation
✅ Template Engines - Dynamic content with EJS
✅ Error Handling - Comprehensive error management
✅ Middleware - Custom Express middleware creation
✅ Session Management - User session handling
✅ Security - Web application security fundamentals

🗺️ Roadmap

Phase 1: Core Features ✅

Phase 2: Enhanced Features 🚧

Advanced search filters (price, location, amenities)
Booking calendar integration
Wishlist/favorites functionality
User profiles with avatars
Email notifications
Pagination for listings

Phase 3: Booking System 📋

Real-time availability checking
Booking management dashboard
Payment gateway integration (Stripe/Razorpay)
Booking confirmation emails
Cancellation policy management
Host approval system

Phase 4: Advanced Features 🎯

Interactive maps with Mapbox/Google Maps
Multi-language support (i18n)
Chat system between guests and hosts
Advanced analytics dashboard
Mobile application (React Native)
Social media integration

Phase 5: Enterprise Features 🏢

🚀 Deployment

Deploy to Render

Backend Deployment

Create Web Service:

Build Command: npm install
Start Command: npm start

Environment Variables:

NODE_ENV=production
MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_atlas_uri
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloud_name
CLOUDINARY_KEY=your_api_key
CLOUDINARY_SECRET=your_api_secret
SESSION_SECRET=your_production_secret

Deploy to Heroku

# Login to Heroku
heroku login

# Create new app
heroku create wanderlust-app

# Add MongoDB Atlas add-on
heroku addons:create mongolab:sandbox

# Set environment variables
heroku config:set CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloud_name
heroku config:set CLOUDINARY_KEY=your_key
heroku config:set CLOUDINARY_SECRET=your_secret
heroku config:set SESSION_SECRET=your_secret

# Deploy
git push heroku main

MongoDB Atlas Setup

Create cluster at MongoDB Atlas
Whitelist IP addresses (0.0.0.0/0 for all)
Create database user
Get connection string
Add to environment variables

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions from the community! Whether you're fixing bugs, adding features, or improving documentation, your help is appreciated.

How to Contribute

Fork the Repository

git clone https://github.com/VAMSHIYADAV46/WanderLust.git
cd WanderLust

Create Feature Branch
```
git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature
```
Make Your Changes
- Follow the existing code style
- Write clear commit messages
- Add tests if applicable
- Update documentation

Commit Your Changes

git add .
git commit -m "✨ Add AmazingFeature: description"

Push to Your Fork
```
git push origin feature/AmazingFeature
```
Open Pull Request
- Provide clear description
- Link related issues
- Include screenshots for UI changes

Contribution Guidelines

Code Style: Follow ESLint configuration
Testing: Test thoroughly before submitting
Documentation: Update README for new features
Commits: Use conventional commit messages
Reviews: Be open to feedback and suggestions

Areas for Contribution

🐛 Bug fixes
✨ New features
📝 Documentation improvements
🎨 UI/UX enhancements
🧪 Test coverage
♿ Accessibility improvements
🌍 Internationalization

🐛 Known Issues

Large image uploads may take time on slower connections
Session timeout on prolonged inactivity
Search functionality needs optimization for large datasets

Report issues at: GitHub Issues

📄 License

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

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2024 Mekala Vamshi Yadav

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software...

🙏 Acknowledgements

Special Thanks To:

🍃 MongoDB - For flexible database solutions
🟢 Node.js - For powerful JavaScript runtime
⚡ Express.js - For minimalist web framework
☁️ Cloudinary - For image management platform
🔐 Passport.js - For authentication middleware
🎨 Bootstrap - For responsive design framework
📝 EJS - For templating engine
👥 Open Source Community - For continuous inspiration and support

Inspired By:

Airbnb - For revolutionizing hospitality booking
Booking.com - For comprehensive hotel listings
TripAdvisor - For review and rating systems

👨‍💻 Author

Mekala Vamshi Yadav

Full-Stack Developer | MERN Stack Enthusiast | Open Source Contributor

🔗 Project Links

🌐 Repository: https://github.com/VAMSHIYADAV46/WanderLust
📖 Documentation: https://github.com/VAMSHIYADAV46/WanderLust/wiki
🐛 Issue Tracker: https://github.com/VAMSHIYADAV46/WanderLust/issues
💬 Discussions: https://github.com/VAMSHIYADAV46/WanderLust/discussions
🚀 Live Demo: WanderLust

📊 Project Stats

⭐ Star this repo if you find it helpful!

Built with ❤️ and ☕ for Travelers & Developers

🌍 Happy Coding & Safe Travels! ✈️

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 37 Commits
Routes		Routes
classroom		classroom
controllers		controllers
init		init
models		models
node_modules		node_modules
public		public
utils		utils
views		views
.env		.env
.gitignore		.gitignore
README.md		README.md
app.js		app.js
cloudConfig.js		cloudConfig.js
middleware.js		middleware.js
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json
schema.js		schema.js

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🌍 WanderLust

Your Gateway to Perfect Stays - Full-Stack Hotel Listing & Booking Platform

🌟 Introduction

🎯 The Problem

💡 Our Solution

🚀 What Makes WanderLust Unique

✨ Features

🎬 Core Features

🛡️ Benefits

🏗️ System Architecture

🛠️ Tech Stack

📦 Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

1️⃣ Clone the Repository

2️⃣ Install Dependencies

3️⃣ Environment Configuration

4️⃣ Database Setup

5️⃣ Cloudinary Setup

6️⃣ Start the Application

7️⃣ Access the Application

💻 Usage Guide

For Travelers

For Hotel Owners

Project Structure

🔑 Key Features Explained

🔐 Authentication System

📸 Image Management

⭐ Review System

📚 Learning Outcomes

What This Project Demonstrates:

🎯 Full-Stack Development

🔐 Security Best Practices

☁️ Cloud Integration

Skills Developed:

🗺️ Roadmap

Phase 1: Core Features ✅

Phase 2: Enhanced Features 🚧

Phase 3: Booking System 📋

Phase 4: Advanced Features 🎯

Phase 5: Enterprise Features 🏢

🚀 Deployment

Deploy to Render

Backend Deployment

Deploy to Heroku

MongoDB Atlas Setup

🤝 Contributing

How to Contribute

Contribution Guidelines

Areas for Contribution

🐛 Known Issues

📄 License

🙏 Acknowledgements

Special Thanks To:

Inspired By:

👨‍💻 Author

Mekala Vamshi Yadav

🔗 Project Links

📊 Project Stats

⭐ Star this repo if you find it helpful!

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