NomadHire — Freelancers Without Borders

A full-stack freelance marketplace MVP featuring real-time chat, bidding system, milestone payments, and escrow simulation.

🚀 Tech Stack

📁 Project Structure

NomadHire/
├── frontend/          # SvelteKit application
├── backend/           # Rails API application
├── docs/              # Documentation
├── .env.example       # Template for env variables
└── README.md          # This file

🛠️ Prerequisites

• Ruby: 3.3.10+
• Rails: 8.1.1+
• Node.js: 18+
• PostgreSQL: 14+ (18.1 recommended)

🏃 Quick Start

1. Clone and Setup Environment

git clone <repository-url>
cd NomadHire

2. Backend Setup (Rails API)

Navigate to the backend directory:

cd backend

Install Dependencies:

bundle install

Setup Database:

1. Ensure PostgreSQL is running and you have a user (default: postgres) with password.

2. Copy the environment file:

   cp env.template .env
   # OR on Windows PowerShell:
   # Copy-Item env.template .env
   

3. Edit .env:

   • Set DATABASE_URL or POSTGRES_PASSWORD to match your local setup.
   • Example: POSTGRES_PASSWORD=your_password

4. Create, Migrate, and Seed:

   bundle exec rails db:create db:migrate db:seed
   

Start the Server:

Option A: Windows Helper Script (Recommended) If you are running from the backend folder:

./start_backend.ps1

Option B: Manual Start

bundle exec rails s -p 3001

The API will be available at http://localhost:3001.

3. Frontend Setup (SvelteKit)

Open a new terminal and navigate to the frontend directory:

cd frontend

Install Dependencies:

npm install

Start the Development Server:

npm run dev

The frontend will be available at http://localhost:5173.

🧪 Test Accounts

The database is seeded with these accounts (password: password123 for all):

💳 Test Payment Cards

❗ Troubleshooting

Windows: PostgreSQL "psql not found"

If you get errors about psql or pg_config not being found:

1. Find your PostgreSQL bin directory (e.g., C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\18\bin).

2. Add it to your System PATH environment variable.

3. Or run in PowerShell:

   $env:PATH = "C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\18\bin;$env:PATH"
   

Windows: Backend "Connection Refused"

Ensure your .env or config/database.yml has the correct host: localhost and username/password matching your local PostgreSQL installation.

📝 License

MIT License