Mentor Mentee Matchmaking

Hosted At

https://malikk.pythonanywhere.com

Architecture

Chose a monolithic approach with Django for:

• Built-in authentication
• Admin interface
• ORM for database management
• Template system (DTL)
• Form handling

Authentication

Client-side validation (JavaScript):

• Immediate user feedback
• Reduced server load
• Improved UX
• Note: Can be bypassed, used only for UX

Server-side validation (Django):

• Primary security layer
• Password requirements enforcement
• CSRF protection
• Session management

Database

Using SQLite because:

• Built into Python
• Simple setup
• Sufficient for MVP
• Can migrate to PostgreSQL later if needed

Frontend

Vanilla stack:

• HTML/CSS/JavaScript
• No frameworks
• Django Template Language
• AJAX for dynamic updates
• Responsive design with CSS Grid/Flexbox

Core Features

1. User Management:

   • Custom user model
   • Mentor/Mentee roles
   • Profile creation

2. Profile System:

   • Bio, skills, interests
   • JSON fields for flexible storage
   • Profile editing/viewing

3. Connection System:

   • Request/accept/reject flow
   • Many-to-many relationships
   • Status tracking

4. Search/Filter:

   • Role-based filtering
   • Skill matching
   • Real-time updates

Development

• Fork and clone this repo
• With Poetry installed:

poetry shell
poetry install
python manage.py migrate
python manage.py runserver