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.

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🌟 Features

User Features

• Live Auctions — Real-time bidding with live updates
• AI Price Advisor — 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, and more

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

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🏗️ 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

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🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js v16+
• npm or yarn
• MongoDB Atlas account
• Stripe account
• OpenAI API key (optional, for AI features)

Backend Setup

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/rachit23tech/BidBuds.git
cd BidBuds/backend

2. Install dependencies

npm install

3. Create .env file

PORT=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

4. Start the server

npm start

The backend will run on http://localhost:5000

Frontend Setup

1. Navigate to frontend

cd ../frontend

2. Install dependencies

npm install

3. Create .env file

REACT_APP_API_URL=http://localhost:5000
REACT_APP_STRIPE_PUBLIC_KEY=your_stripe_publishable_key

4. Start the development server

npm start

The frontend will run on http://localhost:3000

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📁 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

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🔐 Authentication

BidBuds uses JWT (JSON Web Tokens) for authentication:

• User registers with email and password
• Backend generates JWT token stored in localStorage
• Token is sent with every API request in the 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

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💳 Payment Flow

1. User buys credits via Stripe checkout
2. Stripe processes payment securely
3. Backend confirms payment and credits user account
4. User can now bid using credits
5. 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

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🤖 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

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📊 Database Schema

User

{
  name: String,
  email: String (unique),
  password: String (hashed),
  role: String (default: "user"),
  credits: Number (default: 1000),
  createdAt: Date,
  updatedAt: Date
}

Auction

{
  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

{
  auctionId: ObjectId,
  bidderId: ObjectId,
  amount: Number,
  timestamp: Date
}

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🌐 API Endpoints

Authentication

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/auth/register	Register new user
POST	/auth/login	Login user
GET	/auth/me	Get current user

Auctions

Method	Endpoint	Description
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

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/bids/place	Place a bid
GET	/bids/auction/:id	Get bids for auction
GET	/bids/credits	Get user's credits

Payments

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/payments/create-credits-checkout	Create Stripe checkout
POST	/payments/confirm-credits	Confirm payment
POST	/payments/pay-winning-bid	Pay for winning bid

Admin

Method	Endpoint	Description
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

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/ai/price	Get AI price recommendation

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🚢 Deployment

Backend (Render)

1. Connect GitHub repository to Render
2. Set environment variables in Render dashboard
3. Deploy automatically on push to main branch

Frontend (Netlify)

1. Connect GitHub repository to Netlify
2. Set build command: npm run build
3. Set publish directory: build
4. Deploy automatically on push to main branch

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🛠️ Troubleshooting

Images not loading after deployment

• Check that backend serves /uploads folder: app.use('/uploads', express.static('uploads'))
• Verify imageUrl in database uses the 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 <token> header
• Check token hasn't expired (default: 7 days)
• Verify JWT_SECRET is the same on the backend

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📱 Mobile Responsiveness

BidBuds is fully responsive:

• Desktop: Full feature set with sidebar navigation
• Tablet: Optimized layout with touch-friendly buttons
• Mobile: Vertical layout with hamburger menu

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🔒 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

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🚀 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

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👥 Contributors

• Ayush Unhale — Backend Developer
• Rachit Arora — Frontend & AI Integration

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🙏 Acknowledgments

• OpenAI for AI price analysis
• Stripe for payment processing
• Render for backend hosting
• Netlify for frontend hosting
• MongoDB Atlas for database services
• Socket.io for real-time updates

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📝 License

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

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Happy Bidding! 🎉