BidBuds - AI-Powered Live Auction Platform
BidBuds is a modern, AI-powered live auction platform where users can bid on premium items in real-time. The platform features AI-driven price recommendations, real-time bidding, secure payments via Stripe, and an intuitive admin dashboard. 🌟 Features User Features
Live Auctions - Real-time bidding with live updates AI Price Advisor - Get AI-powered price recommendations based on market trends Credit System - Buy credits via Stripe and use them to bid Auction Filtering - Filter by category, price range, and more Auction Search - Quick search across all active auctions User Dashboard - Track your bids, wins, and credit balance Multiple Categories - Watches, Fine Art, Automobiles, Jewelry, Wine, Collectibles, etc.
Admin Features
Admin Dashboard - Manage all auctions and users Create Auctions - Upload items with images, descriptions, and pricing Credit Manager - Add/deduct credits from user accounts User Management - View all users and their activity Auction Analytics - Track active auctions, bidders, revenue, and trends AI Price Suggestions - Get market analysis before creating auctions
Payment & Billing
Stripe Integration - Secure credit card payments Credit Wallet - Prepaid credits system (1 credit = $1 USD) Payment Tracking - Transaction history and receipts Auto Settlement - Automatic credit deduction when winning auctions
Technical Features
Real-time Updates - Socket.io for live bidding JWT Authentication - Secure user sessions MongoDB Database - Scalable data storage Responsive Design - Works on desktop, tablet, and mobile AI Integration - OpenAI API for price analysis and recommendations
🏗️ Architecture Frontend
Framework: React.js with React Router Styling: Inline CSS with Tailwind utilities Icons: Lucide React Deployment: Netlify
Backend
Framework: Node.js with Express Database: MongoDB Atlas Authentication: JWT with middleware File Upload: Multer for image handling Real-time: Socket.io for live updates Payments: Stripe API AI: OpenAI API for price analysis Deployment: Render
🚀 Getting Started Prerequisites
Node.js v16+ npm or yarn MongoDB Atlas account Stripe account OpenAI API key (optional, for AI features)
Backend Setup
Clone the repository
bashgit clone https://github.com/yourusername/bidbuzd.git cd bidbuzd/backend
Install dependencies
bashnpm install
Create .env file
envPORT=5000 MONGODB_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_key STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=your_stripe_secret_key OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:3000 NODE_ENV=development
Start the server
bashnpm start The backend will run on http://localhost:5000 Frontend Setup
Navigate to frontend
bashcd ../frontend
Install dependencies
bashnpm install
Create .env file
envREACT_APP_API_URL=http://localhost:5000 REACT_APP_STRIPE_PUBLIC_KEY=your_stripe_publishable_key
Start the development server
bashnpm start The frontend will run on http://localhost:3000 📁 Project Structure bidbuzd/ ├── backend/ │ ├── models/ │ │ ├── user.js │ │ ├── auction.js │ │ ├── bid.js │ │ └── creditTopup.js │ ├── routes/ │ │ ├── authRoutes.js │ │ ├── auctionRoutes.js │ │ ├── bidRoutes.js │ │ ├── paymentRoutes.js │ │ ├── adminRoutes.js │ │ └── aiRoutes.js │ ├── middleware/ │ │ ├── authMiddleware.js │ │ └── upload.js │ ├── services/ │ │ ├── auctionSettlementService.js │ │ └── notificationService.js │ ├── server.js │ └── package.json │ └── frontend/ ├── src/ │ ├── pages/ │ │ ├── Auctions.jsx │ │ ├── AuctionRoom.jsx │ │ ├── AdminDashboard.jsx │ │ ├── BuyCredits.jsx │ │ ├── Login.jsx │ │ └── Register.jsx │ ├── components/ │ │ ├── Navbar.jsx │ │ ├── AIAdvisorPanel.jsx │ │ └── shared/ │ ├── services/ │ │ └── api.js │ ├── App.jsx │ └── index.jsx └── package.json 🔐 Authentication BidBudz uses JWT (JSON Web Tokens) for authentication:
User registers with email and password Backend generates JWT token and stores it in localStorage Token is sent with every API request in Authorization header Protected routes check token validity
Admin Access Users need role: "admin" in their profile to access:
Admin Dashboard Create auctions Manage users View analytics
💳 Payment Flow
User buys credits via Stripe checkout Stripe processes payment securely Backend confirms payment and credits user account User can now bid using credits Winning bid automatically deducts credits from account
Stripe Setup
Get API keys from Stripe Dashboard Add STRIPE_SECRET_KEY to backend .env Add REACT_APP_STRIPE_PUBLIC_KEY to frontend .env
🤖 AI Features Price Advisor
Uses OpenAI API to analyze market trends Suggests optimal starting prices for auctions Provides market insights and comparable sales data Shows bullish/bearish sentiment
AI Win Score
Estimates probability of winning an auction Considers bidder count, bid history, and item demand Helps users make informed bidding decisions
📊 Database Schema User javascript{ name: String, email: String (unique), password: String (hashed), role: String (default: "user"), credits: Number (default: 1000), createdAt: Date, updatedAt: Date } Auction javascript{ itemName: String, category: String, description: String, basePrice: Number, currentBid: Number, highestBidder: String, bidderCount: Number, endTime: Date, status: String (active, pending_payment, sold, ended, awaiting_admin), winnerId: String, finalPrice: Number, imageUrl: String, createdAt: Date, updatedAt: Date } Bid javascript{ auctionId: ObjectId, bidderId: ObjectId, amount: Number, timestamp: Date } 🌐 API Endpoints Authentication
POST /auth/register - Register new user POST /auth/login - Login user GET /auth/me - Get current user
Auctions
GET /auctions - Get all active auctions GET /auctions/:id - Get auction details POST /auctions/create - Create new auction (admin only) DELETE /auctions/:id - Delete auction (admin only)
Bidding
POST /bids/place - Place a bid GET /bids/auction/:id - Get bids for auction GET /bids/credits - Get user's credits
Payments
POST /payments/create-credits-checkout - Create Stripe checkout POST /payments/confirm-credits - Confirm payment POST /payments/pay-winning-bid - Pay for winning bid
Admin
GET /admin/users - Get all users POST /admin/add-credits - Add credits to user POST /admin/deduct-credits - Deduct credits from user POST /admin/auction-decision - Resolve unclaimed auction
AI
POST /ai/price - Get AI price recommendation
🚢 Deployment Backend (Render)
Connect GitHub repository to Render Set environment variables in Render dashboard Deploy automatically on push to main branch
Frontend (Netlify)
Connect GitHub repository to Netlify Set build command: npm run build Set publish directory: build Deploy automatically on push to main branch
Check that backend serves /uploads folder: app.use('/uploads', express.static('uploads')) Verify imageUrl in database uses correct domain (not localhost) Create new auctions to test image upload
Payment not working
Verify Stripe keys are correct in .env Check Stripe webhook is configured Ensure FRONTEND_URL matches your actual frontend domain
MongoDB connection error
Check connection string in .env Verify IP whitelist in MongoDB Atlas (allow all IPs: 0.0.0.0/0) Test connection with mongosh
JWT authentication failing
Ensure token is sent in Authorization: Bearer header Check token hasn't expired (default: 7 days) Verify JWT_SECRET is same on backend
📱 Mobile Responsiveness BidBudz is fully responsive:
Desktop: Full feature set with sidebar navigation Tablet: Optimized layout with touch-friendly buttons Mobile: Vertical layout with hamburger menu
🔒 Security Features
✅ Password hashing with bcrypt ✅ JWT token authentication ✅ CORS protection ✅ SQL injection prevention (MongoDB) ✅ XSS protection with React ✅ Secure payment processing with Stripe ✅ HTTPS enforced in production ✅ Environment variables for secrets
🚀 Future Enhancements
Wishlist/Favorites system Real-time notifications User profiles and ratings Auto-bidding feature Multi-currency support Mobile app (React Native) Video auction item uploads Auction schedule (future auctions) Email notifications Advanced analytics dashboard Fraud detection system Social media integration
📝 License This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details. 👥 Contributors Ayush Unhale - Backend Developer Rachit - AI-ML Developer
📧 Support For issues, bugs, or feature requests, please open an issue on GitHub or contact us at support@bidbuzd.com 🙏 Acknowledgments
Llama for AI price analysis Stripe for payment processing Render for backend hosting Netlify for frontend hosting MongoDB for database services Socket.io for real-time updates
Happy Bidding! 🎉