Dev Club Nexus Portal

Dynamic, single-page experience for Dev Club members and admins. Features a programmable particle hero, member onboarding with admin approvals, secure login, project assignments, and event calendar management — all powered by a lightweight Node.js backend with JSON persistence.

Stack

• Frontend: Vanilla JavaScript, Tailwind CSS (CDN build), tsParticles for hero animation.
• Backend: Node.js (ESM), native HTTP server, file-based JSON datastore.
• Auth: PBKDF2 password hashing, JWT-style signed tokens (HMAC SHA-256).

Quick Start

1. Install prerequisites

   • Node.js 18+ (no additional npm packages are required).

2. Start the server

   cd server
   npm start

   • Default port: 4000. Override with PORT=5000 npm start.
   • Seeded test accounts:
     • Admin → admin@devclub.local / AdminPass123!
     • Member → member@devclub.local / MemberPass123!

3. Open the app

   • Visit http://localhost:4000 in your browser.
   • Tailwind and particle scripts load from public CDNs.

Workflow Overview

• Membership Requests

  • Prospects submit the sign-up form.
  • Admin dashboard lists pending approvals.
  • Approving a user logs a simulated email to server/logs/emails.log.

• Events Lobby

  • Approved members land in a personalized lobby highlighting the next event, RSVP details, and a daily breakdown.
  • The dedicated events view renders a timeline; guests see a curated preview while members unlock the live feed and calendar sync.

• Authentication

  • Approved members can sign in via /api/auth/login.
  • JWT tokens are stored in localStorage; requests include bearer auth headers.

• Member Experience

  • Personalized dashboard with interactive calendar, day-by-day agenda, and project boards.
  • Members can self-assign to projects and share progress updates.

• Guest Preview

  • Landing page showcases club tracks, testimonials, and featured project previews for prospective members.

• Admin Controls

  • Approve or reject members.
  • Create or update projects and events.
  • All data is persisted to server/data/*.json.

• Particle Playground

  • Users can tune density, speed, and color of the hero animation in real time.

Data & Security Notes

• Passwords are hashed with PBKDF2 (100k iterations, SHA-512, random salt).
• Tokens expire after 8 hours; adjust TOKEN_TTL_MS in server/server.js if needed.
• Emails are simulated by appending messages to server/logs/emails.log. Integrate a mail service by replacing the logEmail helper.
• JSON files act as the datastore. For production, migrate to a database or Firestore.

Testing Tips

• Change the server port if your environment blocks binding to 4000.
• Clear state between manual tests by deleting the JSON files in server/data/ (only if you intentionally want to reset data).
• Review email notifications by opening server/logs/emails.log.
• Browser devtools > Network tab is useful for observing API requests/responses.

Next Steps

1. Swap in a persistent database (Firebase Firestore, PostgreSQL, etc.).
2. Replace simulated email logging with an SMTP or transactional email service.
3. Add role-based granular permissions and richer analytics in the dashboard.
4. Bundle the frontend with a framework (React/Vite) if you prefer component-driven development.