Job / Internship Application Tracker

A full-stack web app to track job and internship applications — log statuses, set follow-up reminders, and view your job search stats on a dashboard.

Stack: React (frontend) · Node.js + Express (backend) · MySQL (database) · JWT auth

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Features

• Signup / Login with JWT authentication
• Add, edit, delete, and view job applications
• Track status: Applied → Interview → Offer / Rejected
• Dashboard with stats and a pie chart breakdown
• Reminders for follow-ups
• Light/Dark theme toggle
• Profile management + account deletion

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Project Structure

job-tracker/
├── backend/     → Node.js + Express + MySQL API
└── frontend/    → React app

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Setup Instructions

1. Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18+) installed
• MySQL installed and running locally

2. Database Setup

Open your MySQL client (Workbench, CLI, or XAMPP's phpMyAdmin) and run the SQL files in backend/migrations/ in order:

001_create_users.sql
002_create_jobs.sql
003_create_reminders.sql

This creates the job_tracker database and its tables.

3. Backend Setup

cd backend
npm install
cp .env.example .env

Open .env and fill in your actual MySQL password and a random JWT secret string.

npm run dev

Backend runs on http://localhost:5000. Visit http://localhost:5000/api/health to confirm it's running.

4. Frontend Setup

Open a new terminal:

cd frontend
npm install
cp .env.example .env
npm start

Frontend runs on http://localhost:3000.

5. Use the App

1. Go to http://localhost:3000
2. Click "Get Started" and create an account
3. Add your first job application from the Dashboard or Applications page

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API Endpoints Reference

Auth (/api/auth)

• POST /register — create account
• POST /login — login
• GET /me — get current user (requires token)

Jobs (/api/jobs) — all require auth token

• GET / — list all applications
• GET /stats — status counts for dashboard chart
• GET /:id — single application
• POST / — create application
• PUT /:id — update application
• DELETE /:id — delete application

Reminders (/api/reminders) — all require auth token

• GET / — list reminders
• POST / — create reminder
• PUT /:id — update reminder
• DELETE /:id — delete reminder

Users (/api/users) — all require auth token

• PUT /profile — update name/email
• DELETE /account — delete account

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Notes for Interviews

If you're using this as a portfolio project, be ready to explain:

• Why JWT is stored and sent via Authorization: Bearer <token> header
• How passwords are hashed with bcrypt before storage (never stored in plain text)
• Why the backend re-checks user_id on every job/reminder query (prevents one user from accessing another user's data)
• How the React Context API (AuthContext, ThemeContext) avoids prop-drilling
• How ProtectedRoute blocks access to dashboard pages when not logged in

Possible Extensions (nice to mention in interviews as "future improvements")

• Email notifications for reminders (utils/sendEmail.js is scaffolded but not wired up)
• Pagination/search on the Applications page
• Resume file upload
• Deploy: frontend → Vercel/Netlify, backend → Render/Railway, DB → PlanetScale/Railway MySQL