Complaint Redressal System (CRS)

The Complaint Redressal System (CRS) is a web-based application developed for MNIT Jaipur to facilitate efficient lodging, tracking, and resolution of complaints. The system enhances communication between students and the administration, ensuring timely and effective issue management.

Table of Contents

• Features
• System Architecture
• Project Structure
• Detailed Component Overview
  • Backend (API)
  • Frontend (APP)
• Installation and Setup
• Usage
• Contributing
• License

Features

• User Authentication: Secure login and registration for students and administrators.
• Complaint Management: Users can file new complaints, view status updates, and receive notifications.
• Administrative Dashboard: Administrators can view, assign, and update the status of complaints.
• Responsive Design: Accessible on various devices, ensuring usability across platforms.

System Architecture

The CRS follows a client-server architecture:

• Frontend (Client): Developed using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, the frontend provides an intuitive interface for users to interact with the system.
• Backend (Server): Built with Node.js and Express.js, the backend handles client requests, processes business logic, and communicates with the database.
• Database: Manages user information, complaints, and related data, ensuring data integrity and persistence.

Project Structure

The project is organized as follows:

CRS/
├── API/                 # Backend application
│   ├── controllers/     # Request handlers
│   ├── models/          # Database schemas
│   ├── routes/          # API endpoints
│   ├── middlewares/     # Middleware functions
│   ├── utils/           # Utility functions
│   ├── config/          # Configuration files
│   └── server.js        # Server setup
├── APP/                 # Frontend application
│   ├── css/             # Stylesheets
│   ├── js/              # JavaScript files
│   ├── views/           # HTML templates
│   └── index.html       # Main HTML file
├── .gitignore           # Git ignore rules
└── README.md            # Project documentation

Detailed Component Overview

Backend (API)

The backend is responsible for handling client requests, processing business logic, and interacting with the database.

• Controllers (API/controllers/):

  • authController.js: Manages user authentication processes, including login and registration.
  • complaintController.js: Handles operations related to complaints, such as creation, retrieval, updating, and deletion.

• Models (API/models/):

  • User.js: Defines the schema for user data, including fields like username, password, role, and contact information.
  • Complaint.js: Defines the schema for complaint data, including fields like title, description, status, and timestamps.

• Routes (API/routes/):

  • authRoutes.js: Defines endpoints for authentication-related operations.
  • complaintRoutes.js: Defines endpoints for complaint-related operations.

• Middlewares (API/middlewares/):

  • authMiddleware.js: Contains functions to verify user authentication and authorization.

• Utilities (API/utils/):

  • db.js: Manages database connections and configurations.

• Configuration (API/config/):

  • config.js: Stores configuration settings, such as database connection strings and secret keys.

• Server Setup (API/server.js):

  • Initializes the Express application, sets up middleware, and starts the server on the specified port.

Frontend (APP)

The frontend provides the user interface for the application, allowing users to interact with the system seamlessly.

• CSS (APP/css/):

  • styles.css: Contains styles to ensure a consistent and responsive design across the application.

• JavaScript (APP/js/):

  • main.js: Handles client-side logic, including form validations and API calls.

• Views (APP/views/):

  • index.html: The main landing page of the application.
  • login.html: User login page.
  • register.html: User registration page.
  • dashboard.html: User dashboard displaying filed complaints and their statuses.
  • admin.html: Administrator dashboard for managing complaints.

Installation and Setup

To set up the project locally:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/VPRoyal/CRS.git
   cd CRS

2. Backend Setup:

   • Navigate to the API directory:

     cd API

   • Install backend dependencies:

     npm install

   • Configure environment variables:

     • Create a .env file in the API directory with the following variables:

       PORT=5000
       DB_CONNECTION_STRING=your_database_connection_string
       JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret

   • Start the backend server:

     npm start

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

3. Frontend Setup:

   • Navigate to the APP directory:

     cd ../APP

   • Since the frontend consists of static files, ensure you have a live server extension in your code editor or use any static server to serve the files.

   • Open index.html in your preferred browser to access the application.

Usage

• For Users:

  • Registration: Navigate to the registration page to create a new account.
  • Login: Use your credentials to log in.
  • File a Complaint: Access the dashboard to file a new complaint.
  • Track Complaint: View the status of your filed complaints in the dashboard.

• For Administrators:

  • Login: Use admin credentials to access the admin dashboard.
  • Manage Complaints: View all complaints, assign them to relevant departments, and update their statuses.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! To contribute:

1. Fork the repository.

2. Create a new branch:

   git checkout -b feature/YourFeature

3. Commit your changes:

   git commit -m "Add YourFeature"

4. Push to the branch:

   git push origin feature/YourFeature

5. Open a Pull Request:

   • Go to your forked repository on GitHub.
   • Click on the "New Pull Request" button.
   • Compare your branch with the main branch and submit the pull request for review.

6. Code Review & Merging:

   • Your changes will be reviewed by the maintainers.
   • If necessary, make modifications based on feedback.
   • Once approved, your changes will be merged into the main repository.

API Endpoints

Authentication Routes

Method	Endpoint	Description	Access
POST	/auth/register	Registers a new user	Public
POST	/auth/login	Logs in a user and returns a token	Public

Complaint Management Routes

Method	Endpoint	Description	Access
POST	/complaints/new	Create a new complaint	User
GET	/complaints/user	Get all complaints of a logged-in user	User
GET	/complaints/admin	Get all complaints (for admins)	Admin
PATCH	/complaints/update/:id	Update complaint status	Admin
DELETE	/complaints/delete/:id	Delete a complaint	Admin

Tech Stack

Backend

• Node.js: JavaScript runtime for server-side operations.
• Express.js: Web framework for building RESTful APIs.
• MongoDB: NoSQL database for storing user and complaint data.
• JWT (JSON Web Token): Secure authentication and authorization.
• Mongoose: ODM for MongoDB schema management.

Frontend

• HTML, CSS, JavaScript: Core web technologies for UI.
• Bootstrap: Responsive and modern UI framework.
• AJAX & Fetch API: For dynamic data fetching.

Tools & DevOps

• Git & GitHub: Version control and collaboration.
• Postman: API testing.
• Nodemon: Auto-reloading during development.
• dotenv: Manage environment variables securely.

Security Features

• Password Hashing: Ensures secure storage of user passwords using bcrypt.
• JWT Authentication: Protects user sessions and API access.
• Input Validation: Prevents SQL injection and XSS attacks.
• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Restricts access to admin-only features.

Future Enhancements

• Notifications System: Email or SMS notifications for complaint updates.
• Chat Support: Real-time chat between users and administrators.
• Multi-Language Support: Localization for broader accessibility.
• File Attachments: Allow users to upload images or documents for complaints.
• AI-Powered Analysis: Automate complaint categorization for faster processing.

License

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

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✨ Developed by Vinay Pratap Singh