Library Management System

A comprehensive full-stack MERN (MongoDB, Express.js, React, Node.js) application for managing library operations with modern design and advanced features.

🚀 Features

Core Features

• User Authentication & Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

  • JWT-based authentication
  • Three user roles: Admin, User, Guest
  • Protected routes and API endpoints

• Book Inventory Management

  • Add, update, delete books
  • Track stock levels and availability
  • Search and filter by title, author, genre
  • Book categorization and reviews

• Borrowing & Return System

  • 14-day borrowing period
  • Due date tracking and overdue notifications
  • Renewal system (up to 2 renewals)
  • Automatic fine calculation

• Advanced Search & Filtering

  • Full-text search across books
  • Filter by genre, author, availability
  • Pagination and sorting options

• Data Visualization

  • Admin dashboard with charts and analytics
  • Monthly borrowing trends
  • Genre distribution
  • Popular books tracking

• Fine Management

  • Automatic fine calculation for overdue books
  • Payment tracking with multiple payment methods
  • Fine waiver capabilities for admins

Additional Features

• User Dashboard: Personal borrowing history and active loans
• Book Reviews & Ratings: User-generated content and ratings
• Responsive Design: Mobile-first approach with Tailwind CSS
• Modern UI/UX: Clean, professional interface with animations
• Real-time Updates: Dynamic data updates and notifications

🛠 Tech Stack

Frontend

• React - UI library with hooks and context
• React Router DOM - Client-side routing
• Tailwind CSS - Utility-first CSS framework
• Axios - HTTP client for API calls
• React Toastify - Toast notifications
• Recharts - Data visualization charts
• Lucide React - Modern icon library

Backend

• Node.js - JavaScript runtime
• Express.js - Web application framework
• MongoDB - NoSQL database
• Mongoose - MongoDB object modeling
• JWT - JSON Web Tokens for authentication
• bcryptjs - Password hashing
• CORS - Cross-origin resource sharing
• Express Validator - Input validation

📁 Project Structure

library-management-system/
├── backend/
│   ├── config/
│   │   └── database.js
│   ├── controllers/
│   │   ├── authController.js
│   │   ├── bookController.js
│   │   ├── borrowController.js
│   │   └── adminController.js
│   ├── middleware/
│   │   ├── auth.js
│   │   └── errorHandler.js
│   ├── models/
│   │   ├── User.js
│   │   ├── Book.js
│   │   ├── BorrowTransaction.js
│   │   └── Fine.js
│   ├── routes/
│   │   ├── authRoutes.js
│   │   ├── bookRoutes.js
│   │   ├── borrowRoutes.js
│   │   └── adminRoutes.js
│   ├── .env
│   ├── server.js
│   └── package.json
├── frontend/
│   ├── public/
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── components/
│   │   │   ├── BookCard.jsx
│   │   │   ├── Navbar.jsx
│   │   │   ├── Footer.jsx
│   │   │   ├── SearchFilters.jsx
│   │   │   ├── Pagination.jsx
│   │   │   └── ProtectedRoute.jsx
│   │   ├── context/
│   │   │   └── AuthContext.jsx
│   │   ├── pages/
│   │   │   ├── Home.jsx
│   │   │   ├── Login.jsx
│   │   │   ├── Register.jsx
│   │   │   ├── Books.jsx
│   │   │   ├── BookDetail.jsx
│   │   │   ├── Dashboard.jsx
│   │   │   ├── Profile.jsx
│   │   │   └── admin/
│   │   │       ├── AdminDashboard.jsx
│   │   │       ├── AdminBooks.jsx
│   │   │       ├── AdminUsers.jsx
│   │   │       ├── AdminBorrowings.jsx
│   │   │       └── AdminFines.jsx
│   │   ├── services/
│   │   │   └── api.js
│   │   ├── App.jsx
│   │   ├── main.jsx
│   │   └── index.css
│   ├── package.json
│   └── vite.config.js
├── package.json
└── README.md

🚦 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16 or higher)
• MongoDB (local installation or MongoDB Atlas)
• npm or yarn package manager

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd library-management-system

2. Install dependencies

   npm run install-all

3. Set up environment variables

   Create a .env file in the backend directory:

   NODE_ENV=development
   PORT=5000
   MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/library_management
   JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_key_here_make_it_very_secure
   EMAIL_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
   EMAIL_PORT=587
   EMAIL_USER=your_email@gmail.com
   EMAIL_PASS=your_app_password

4. Start the application

   npm start

   This will start both the backend server (port 5000) and frontend development server (port 5173).

Manual Setup

If you prefer to start services separately:

Backend:

cd backend
npm run dev

Frontend:

cd frontend
npm run dev

👥 User Roles & Permissions

Guest Users

• Browse books catalog
• View book details
• Search and filter books
• Register for an account

Regular Users

• All guest permissions
• Borrow and return books
• View borrowing history
• Renew borrowed books
• Leave reviews and ratings
• Manage personal profile

Admin Users

• All user permissions
• Manage book inventory (CRUD operations)
• Manage user accounts
• View all borrowing transactions
• Manage fines and payments
• Access admin dashboard with analytics
• Generate reports

🎯 Demo Credentials

Admin Account:

• Email: admin@library.com
• Password: admin123

User Account:

• Email: user@library.com
• Password: user123

🔧 Key Features Explained

Authentication System

• JWT-based authentication with refresh tokens
• Password hashing using bcrypt
• Role-based access control middleware
• Protected routes on both frontend and backend

Book Management

• Full CRUD operations for books
• Image upload support for book covers
• Inventory tracking with available/total copies
• Search functionality with full-text indexing

Borrowing System

• 14-day default borrowing period
• Automatic due date calculation
• Renewal system with limits
• Overdue detection and fine calculation

Fine Management

• Automatic fine calculation ($1 per day overdue)
• Multiple payment methods supported
• Fine waiver capabilities for admins
• Payment history tracking

Data Visualization

• Monthly borrowing trends chart
• Genre distribution pie chart
• Popular books ranking
• Real-time statistics dashboard

🎨 Design Features

• Modern UI/UX: Clean, professional design with intuitive navigation
• Responsive Design: Mobile-first approach with Tailwind CSS
• Micro-interactions: Smooth animations and hover effects
• Loading States: Skeleton loading for better UX
• Toast Notifications: Real-time feedback for user actions
• Form Validation: Client and server-side validation

🚀 Deployment

Frontend (Netlify/Vercel)

cd frontend
npm run build

Backend (Heroku/Railway)

Ensure environment variables are set in your hosting platform.

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📄 License

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

🙏 Acknowledgments

• React team for the amazing framework
• Tailwind CSS for the utility-first CSS framework
• MongoDB team for the flexible database solution
• Lucide React for the beautiful icons
• All open-source contributors who made this project possible

📞 Support

For support and questions:

• Create an issue on GitHub
• Email: support@libraryms.com
• Documentation: [Link to docs]

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Built with ❤️ using the MERN stack