Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/meenalsingh0/GradGather/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
GradGather uses a unified authentication system built on Express and MongoDB/Mongoose. Both students and alumni share the same signup and login forms, but are directed to role-specific dashboards after account creation. The backend validates credentials against a MongoDB collection and renders the appropriate view on success, passing the user’s name as a Handlebars template variable.
User Roles
GradGather recognises two distinct user roles on the platform:
- Alumni — Graduates who can browse the alumni directory, post job openings, connect with peers, donate to clubs and scholarships, and manage their alumni profile at
/userprofile.
- Students — Current students who can connect with alumni for mentorship, explore job opportunities, donate to causes, and manage their student profile at
/stuprofile.
Both roles authenticate through the same /signup and /login routes. After a successful signup, the user is directed to the alumni dashboard (/landing) with their name passed as a Handlebars variable. Student-specific routing is handled in the extended registration flow (see the commented studentRegister handlers in src/index.js).
Role Selection
Before signing up or logging in, users land on the /2signup route which renders the 2signup.hbs role selection page. The page displays two side-by-side cards — one for students and one for alumni — each containing a short description and buttons linking to /login and /signup.
<!-- tempelates/2signup.hbs — role selection cards -->
<div class="for-students">
<h3>For students</h3>
<p>We help companies connect with alumni for recruitment, networking,
and mentorship.</p>
<button class="orange-btn"><a class="white" href="/login">Login</a></button>
<p>Don't have an account? <a href="/signup">Sign up</a></p>
</div>
<div class="for-alumni">
<h3>For Alumni</h3>
<p>Join alumni from all over the world. Connect, collaborate, and network.</p>
<button class="orange-btn"><a class="white" href="/login">Login</a></button>
<p>Don't have an account? <a href="/signup">Sign up</a></p>
</div>
Signup Flow
The signup form at /signup renders signup.hbs and collects two fields — name and password — submitted via POST /signup.
<!-- tempelates/signup.hbs -->
<form action="/signup" method="post">
<h1>Sign Up</h1>
<input placeholder="Name" name="name" type="text">
<br>
<input placeholder="Password" name="password" type="password">
<br>
<input class="sub" type="submit">
<a href="/">Go back to home page</a>
</form>
POST /signup handler in src/index.js creates a new document in the LogInCollection MongoDB collection using insertMany, then renders the alumni dashboard on success:
// src/index.js — POST /signup handler
app.post("/signup", async (req, res) => {
const data = {
name: req.body.name,
password: req.body.password,
};
try {
const checking = await LogInCollection.findOne({ name: req.body.name });
if (
checking &&
checking.name === req.body.name &&
checking.password === req.body.password
) {
res.send("User details already exist");
} else {
await LogInCollection.insertMany([data]);
res.status(201).render("landing", { naming: req.body.name });
}
} catch (error) {
res.redirect("/"); // Redirect to home page if an error occurs
}
});
Passwords are currently stored in plaintext in MongoDB. Before deploying
to production, replace the raw password storage with a hashing library such as
bcrypt. Hash the password before calling insertMany and use
bcrypt.compare() inside the login handler.
Login Flow
The login form at /login renders login.hbs and accepts the same name and password fields via POST /login.
<!-- tempelates/login.hbs -->
<form action="/login" method="post">
<h1>Login Form</h1>
<input placeholder="Name" name="name" type="text">
<br>
<input placeholder="Password" name="password" type="password">
<br>
<a href="/landing"><input class="sub" type="submit" value="Submit"></a>
<h3>Dont have a account ?</h3>
<a href="/signup">Create a new account</a>
</form>
POST /login handler looks up the user by name with LogInCollection.findOne({ name }), then performs a strict equality check on the stored password:
// src/index.js — POST /login handler
app.post("/login", async (req, res) => {
try {
const check = await LogInCollection.findOne({ name: req.body.name });
if (check.password === req.body.password) {
res
.status(201)
.render("landing", { naming: `${req.body.password}+${req.body.name}` });
} else {
res.send("incorrect password");
}
} catch (e) {
res.send("wrong details");
}
});
After a successful login, the user is directed to the alumni dashboard
(/landing). The naming Handlebars variable passed on login concatenates
the password and name strings. Student-specific dashboard routing (/studash)
is handled by the extended registration flow, not the basic login handler.
Mongoose Schema
The LogInCollection model in src/mongo.js defines the shape of every user document. Both fields are required strings:
// src/mongo.js
const mongoose = require("mongoose");
mongoose.connect("mongodb://localhost:27017/LoginFormPractice")
.then(() => { console.log('mongoose connected'); })
.catch((e) => { console.log('failed'); });
const logInSchema = new mongoose.Schema({
username: {
type: String,
required: true
},
password: {
type: String,
required: true
}
});
const LogInCollection = new mongoose.model('LogInCollection', logInSchema);
module.exports = LogInCollection;
There is a field name mismatch between the Mongoose schema and the active
POST /signup handler. The schema declares username as the required string
field, but the handler saves { name: req.body.name, password: req.body.password } —
using name, not username. Mongoose will not enforce the username field
against a document that only carries name, so documents are inserted without
the schema-declared field. Before shipping, align the schema field name with
the handler (rename username → name in mongo.js, or rename name →
username throughout index.js and all Handlebars templates).
Routes Reference
| Method | Path | Description |
|---|
| GET | /2signup | Role selection page |
| GET | /signup | Signup form |
| POST | /signup | Create user account |
| GET | /login | Login form |
| POST | /login | Authenticate user and redirect |