Smart Mess Management System (MERN Stack)

A complete full-stack Smart Mess Management System built using Node.js, Express.js, MongoDB (Mongoose), React.js (Vite), React Router v6, Axios, and Vanilla CSS. Designed with role-based access control (RBAC) for Students, Mess Admins, and College Authorities.

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🌟 Key Features

🎓 Student Role

• 2-Way Authentication: Log in seamlessly using either your Email Address (student@mess.com) or your Student Roll Number ID (STU1001).
• Daily Mess Menu: View daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus with timings.
• Cumulative Preference Submission: Select meal choices and submit to Mess Authority in a single action.
• Submission Locking & 12 AM Midnight Reset: Once submitted, choices are locked for kitchen preparation. Automatically unlocks after meals are served or resets at 12:00 AM midnight for the new day.
• Digital Mess Pass & QR Code: Instant QR code generation for mess counter check-ins.
• Meal Feedback: Submit 1–5 star ratings and comments for served meals.
• Personal Billing: Real-time bill calculation based solely on consumed meals.

👨‍🍳 Mess Admin Role

• Live Headcount Dashboard: Real-time aggregate count of served vs opted-in meals to prevent food wastage.
• Meal Counter Check-In: Scan QR passes or enter student Roll Numbers (STU1001) to mark meals as served and prevent double-dipping.
• Live Activity Feed: Monitor recent check-ins in real time.
• Weekly Menu Editor: Form interface to update weekly menu schedules.

🏛️ College Authority Role (Supervisory)

• Automated Monthly Billing Summary: Read-only oversight table calculating student bills based solely on consumed meals (e.g. 50 meals × ₹50/meal = ₹2,500).
• Food Wastage & Efficiency Analytics: Monitor overall efficiency rates (%), unconsumed opted meals, and estimated cost savings.
• Aggregated Ratings: View meal feedback scores and student reviews.

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💻 Tech Stack

• Backend: Node.js, Express.js, JWT Authentication, Mongoose ODM
• Database: MongoDB (with MongoMemoryServer fallback for instant testing)
• Frontend: React 18 (Vite), React Router v6, Axios, Lucide Icons, QRCode.react
• Styling: Vanilla CSS with custom properties (Design System) & 1:1 per-component .css stylesheets

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🚀 Quick Setup & Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16+ recommended)
• npm or yarn

1. Clone & Install Dependencies

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/your-username/smart-mess-management-system.git
cd "smart-mess-management-system"

# Install backend dependencies
cd backend
npm install

# Install frontend dependencies
cd ../frontend
npm install

2. Environment Configuration

Create a .env file in the backend/ directory:

PORT=5000
MONGO_URI=mongodb://127.0.0.1:27017/smart_mess_db
JWT_SECRET=smart_mess_jwt_secret_key_2026_biswa_ananta
JWT_EXPIRE=30d

3. Run Development Servers

# Start Backend Server (Runs on port 5000)
cd backend
node server.js

# Start Frontend Dev Server (Runs on port 5173 / 5174)
cd ../frontend
npm run dev

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🔑 Demo Account Credentials

Role	Login Identifier (Email or Student ID)	Password
Student	STU1001 or student@mess.com	Password123
Mess Admin	admin@mess.com	Password123
College Authority	authority@mess.com	Password123

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👨‍💻 Developer Credit

Developed by Biswa Ananta