LearnCo - Simulated Business Web Platform for University Teaching

Simulate. Learn. Succeed.

LearnCo is an open-source, self-hosted platform that creates realistic simulated business environments for university education. It bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application by providing students with hands-on experience in a controlled, realistic corporate setting.

📖 Project Description

LearnCo transforms traditional university teaching by offering:

• Authentic Business Simulation: Students interact with a fully-functional corporate website, complete with public-facing pages and secure internal systems
• AI-Powered Interactions: Engage with simulated employees through intelligent chatbots, each with distinct personalities and roles
• Multi-Disciplinary Learning: Supports diverse courses from web development to cybersecurity, all using the same realistic business context
• Scenario-Based Education: Instructors can create custom scenarios tailored to specific learning objectives
• Safe Learning Environment: Students can explore, make mistakes, and learn without real-world consequences

Designed specifically for resource-conscious university departments, LearnCo uses 100% open-source technologies and can be self-hosted on modest hardware or cloud infrastructure.

🚀 Features

• Public Website: Simulated company website with editable content
• Password-Protected Areas: Secure access to documents and resources
• AI-Powered Chatbots: Simulated employees with different personas
• Appointment Scheduling: Realistic meeting scheduling with chatbots
• Document Management: Support for various file types with access control
• Scenario Management: Create and manage different teaching scenarios
• Time-Based Content: Materials that unlock based on schedule

🛠️ Technology Stack

• Frontend: Next.js 14 with TypeScript, Tailwind CSS
• CMS: Strapi 4 (headless CMS)
• Backend: Node.js with Express
• Database: PostgreSQL 15
• Cache: Redis 7
• Storage: MinIO (S3-compatible)
• Reverse Proxy: Nginx
• LLM: Ollama (self-hosted) or OpenRouter API
• Container: Docker & Docker Compose

📋 Prerequisites

• Docker and Docker Compose installed
• Node.js 18+ (for local development)
• 8GB RAM minimum (16GB recommended for running Ollama)
• 20GB free disk space

🚀 Quick Start

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/your-org/learnco.git
   cd learnco

2. Set up environment variables

   npm run setup:env

   This will create a .env file with secure random values. Review and update as needed.

3. Start the services

   docker-compose up -d

4. Access the applications

   • Frontend: http://localhost
   • Strapi Admin: http://localhost/cms/admin
   • Backend API: http://localhost/api
   • MinIO Console: http://localhost:9001
   • Adminer (DB): http://localhost:8080
   • Mailhog: http://localhost:8025

🔧 Configuration

Environment Variables

Key environment variables in .env:

• POSTGRES_*: Database configuration
• MINIO_*: Object storage settings
• JWT_SECRET: Authentication secrets
• LLM_PROVIDER: Choose between 'ollama' or 'openrouter'
• BUSINESS_HOURS_*: Configure chatbot availability

Initial Setup

1. Create Strapi Admin User

   • Navigate to http://localhost/cms/admin
   • Create your first admin user

2. Configure Content Types

   • Set up public page content types
   • Configure document categories
   • Create user roles and permissions

3. Set Up MinIO Buckets

   • Access MinIO at http://localhost:9001
   • Create learnco-documents bucket
   • Set appropriate access policies

📁 Project Structure

learnco/
├── frontend/          # Next.js frontend application
├── backend/           # Express API server
├── cms/              # Strapi CMS
├── database/         # PostgreSQL init scripts
├── nginx/            # Nginx configuration
├── storage/          # MinIO data (git-ignored)
├── data/             # Docker volumes (git-ignored)
├── scripts/          # Utility scripts
├── docker-compose.yml
└── .env.example

🧑‍💻 Development

Local Development

# Start development environment
npm run dev

# Run specific service
docker-compose up frontend -d

# View logs
docker-compose logs -f [service-name]

# Stop all services
docker-compose down

Adding New Features

1. New API Endpoint

   • Add route in backend/src/routes/
   • Create controller in backend/src/controllers/
   • Update API documentation

2. New Frontend Page

   • Create page in frontend/src/pages/
   • Add components in frontend/src/components/
   • Update navigation

3. New Chatbot Persona

   • Add to database seed file
   • Configure in Strapi
   • Set availability schedule

🔒 Security Considerations

• All secrets are auto-generated during setup
• Passwords are hashed using bcrypt
• JWT tokens for authentication
• Role-based access control (RBAC)
• Document access logging
• Rate limiting on API endpoints

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Port conflicts

   • Check if ports 80, 3000, 8000, 1337, 5432 are in use
   • Modify port mappings in docker-compose.yml

2. Database connection errors

   • Ensure PostgreSQL container is healthy
   • Check database credentials in .env

3. Storage issues

   • Verify MinIO is running: docker-compose ps minio
   • Check bucket permissions

Logs

# View all logs
docker-compose logs

# View specific service logs
docker-compose logs -f backend

# Check container status
docker-compose ps

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Commit your changes
4. Push to the branch
5. Create a Pull Request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Built for university teaching and learning
• Designed to be intentionally vulnerable for security courses
• Not intended for production use

📞 Support

For issues and questions:

• Create an issue on GitHub
• Contact the development team
• Check the documentation wiki