🩺 Doctor Appointment Booking System (MERN)

An advanced Doctor Appointment Booking web application built with the MERN Stack — featuring secure authentication, appointment scheduling, and an intuitive UI.

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📌 Features

• 🔐 User & Doctor Authentication (JWT / OAuth)
• 📅 Appointment Scheduling & Management
• 👨‍⚕️ Doctor Availability Tracking
• 📱 Fully Responsive Design
• ⚡ Fast API with Express.js
• 🗄 MongoDB Atlas Cloud Database

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🛠 Tech Stack

Frontend: React.js + Tailwind CSS / Material UI
Backend: Node.js + Express.js
Database: MongoDB (Mongoose ODM)
Authentication: JWT / OAuth
State Management: Redux Toolkit (if used)

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📂 Project Structure

doctor/
 ├── backend/       # Node.js + Express API
 ├── frontend/      # React.js Client App
 ├── package.json   # Main scripts & dependencies
 ├── README.md
⚙️ Prerequisites
Make sure you have installed:

Node.js (>= 18.x) → Download Here

npm or yarn

MongoDB (Local or Atlas Cloud Instance)

Git

🚀 Installation & Setup
1️⃣ Clone the Repository
bash
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git clone https://github.com/yourusername/doctor.git
cd doctor
2️⃣ Install Backend Dependencies
bash
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cd backend
npm install
3️⃣ Install Frontend Dependencies
bash
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cd ../frontend
npm install
🔑 Environment Variables
Create .env file inside the backend folder:

env
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PORT=5000
MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_key
For Frontend (frontend/.env):

env
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REACT_APP_API_URL=http://localhost:5000
▶️ Running the Application
Development Mode (Both Frontend & Backend)
Open two terminals:

Terminal 1 – Backend

bash
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cd backend
npm run dev
Terminal 2 – Frontend

bash
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cd frontend
npm start
The app will be available at:
🌐 Frontend → http://localhost:3000
⚙ Backend API → http://localhost:5000

📦 Build for Production
Frontend:

bash
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cd frontend
npm run build
Backend:
Serve the build folder with Express or a hosting service like Vercel/Netlify.

🖥 Cross-Platform Notes
Windows (PowerShell / CMD)
bash
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set PORT=5000 && npm run dev
macOS / Linux (Bash / Zsh)
bash
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export PORT=5000 && npm run dev
🧪 Testing (Optional)
bash
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cd backend
npm test
🤝 Contributing
Fork the repository

Create a new branch (feature/your-feature)

Commit changes (git commit -m 'Add new feature')

Push to branch (git push origin feature/your-feature)

Open a Pull Request

📜 License
This project is licensed under the MIT License.