NextCV — AI Resume Builder

A Next.js resume-builder web app (server + client components) designed for fast resumes, templates, and PDF export. This README helps you run, deploy (Vercel), and prepare the project for sale or distribution.

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Project Overview

• Framework: Next.js (app directory)
• Features: template-driven resume builder, AI-assisted resume content, PDF generation, analytics dashboard, admin pages
• Recommended deployment: Vercel (first-class Next.js support)

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Demo / Preview

• Deploy a preview to Vercel and share the preview URL as your demo link.

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Quick Start (Local)

1. Clone the repository

git clone <your-repo-url>
cd nextcv

2. Install dependencies

npm ci
# or
npm install

3. Create a .env.local file at the repository root (see Environment variables section below)

4. Start development server

npm run dev

5. Build for production

npm run build
npm run start

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Environment variables

Create .env.local with the values your instance needs. Example variables used by this project (adapt to your stack):

MONGODB_URI=
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=
NEXTAUTH_SECRET=
NEXTAUTH_URL=
PHONE_PE_CLIENT_ID=
PHONE_PE_CLIENT_SECRET=
PHONE_PE_CLIENT_VERSION=
PHONE_PE_REDIRECT_URL=
BASE_URL=
NEXT_PUBLIC_SANITY_PROJECT_ID=
NEXT_PUBLIC_SANITY_DATASET=

SANITY_API_READ_TOKEN=

GOOGLE_GEN_AI_API_KEY=

AI_MODEL="gemini-2.5-flash-lite"

Notes:

• Do NOT commit .env.local to source control.
• On Vercel, set Environment Variables in the project Settings → Environment Variables.

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Vercel Deployment (recommended)

1. Sign in to Vercel and create a new project.
2. Import the repository from GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket.
3. In Vercel's Build & Output settings:
   • Framework Preset: Next.js
   • Build Command: npm run build
   • Install Command: npm ci (optional)
   • Output Directory: leave empty (Next.js on Vercel handles it)
4. Add Environment Variables (same names as .env.local) under Settings → Environment Variables.
5. Deploy. Vercel will run the build and provide a preview URL.

Optional Vercel settings:

• Enable Automatic Branch Deploys for staging previews.
• Add a custom domain and configure DNS in Vercel.
• Add Vercel Analytics for Core Web Vitals monitoring.

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Production Checklist (performance & security)

• Remove console.log from production code.
• Convert large images to WebP/AVIF and use next/image with sizes/priority for hero.
• Replace unnecessary "use client" at page-level; scope client components narrowly.
• Lazy-load heavy client libraries with dynamic(..., { ssr: false }) (charts, PDF viewers).
• Use server-side pagination for large lists and virtualize UI lists (react-window) for long item sets.
• Cache expensive analytics results server-side (Redis) or use incremental static regeneration (ISR).
• Add security: rate limiting for API routes, input validation/sanitization, helmet (headers) if needed at edge.
• Set long cache headers for static assets and add cache busting for changed assets.
• Add unit / integration tests and add CI (GitHub Actions) to run tests on push.

Performance checks:

• Run Lighthouse and check LCP, CLS, TBT; add Lighthouse CI for PRs.
• Add bundle-size budgets and analyze using next build and next telemetry or source-map-explorer.

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Packaging & Preparing to Sell

Checklist before selling or handing off the product:

• Remove all secrets and example API keys from the repo.
• Provide a clean .env.example file with variable names and descriptions.
• Add a LICENSE file that specifies permitted usage (e.g., commercial license, MIT + paid support addendum).
• Add README.md (this file) and a short SELLING.md that lists what the buyer gets (support hours, customizations, included assets).
• Provide a hosted demo (Vercel preview or stable demo site) for buyers to evaluate.
• Add screenshots, feature list, and a short video demo or GIFs in the repo (do not include large files — link externally if needed).
• Prepare a CHANGELOG and a short migration guide if you expect buyers to upgrade.

Suggested distribution workflow:

1. Create a stable release tag (git tag) and a release ZIP for buyers.
2. Provide an installation guide with required environment variables and quick-start commands.
3. Offer optional paid setup: Vercel project linking, domain config, one-time customization.

Legal & licensing:

• Decide a license for the code. If you want to sell copies and prevent redistribution, you must craft a commercial license and include it in LICENSE.
• Consult legal counsel for customized licensing templates if needed.

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Recommended Next Steps (value-add)

• Add a DEPLOY.md with screenshots for Vercel steps and where to paste environment variables.
• Add a .env.example and LICENSE file.
• Add a docs/ folder containing architecture notes, where to change templates, and how to extend analytics and payments.
• Add a demo account credentials page (separate from production secrets) and seed demo data for buyer testing.

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Support

If you need help customizing, deploying, or packaging this product for sale, include your contact details or offer paid support plans in SELLING.md.

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Acknowledgements

This project uses Next.js. Reuse or redistribute only under the license you choose. This is a Next.js project bootstrapped with create-next-app.

Getting Started

First, run the development server:

npm run dev
# or
yarn dev
# or
pnpm dev
# or
bun dev

Open http://localhost:3000 with your browser to see the result.

You can start editing the page by modifying app/page.js. The page auto-updates as you edit the file.

This project uses next/font to automatically optimize and load Geist, a new font family for Vercel.

Learn More

To learn more about Next.js, take a look at the following resources:

• Next.js Documentation - learn about Next.js features and API.
• Learn Next.js - an interactive Next.js tutorial.

You can check out the Next.js GitHub repository - your feedback and contributions are welcome!

Deploy on Vercel

The easiest way to deploy your Next.js app is to use the Vercel Platform from the creators of Next.js.

Check out our Next.js deployment documentation for more details.