Togetherly - Share Food. Share Skills. Build Community.

A Laravel-based community platform where users can share surplus food and skills with their neighbors.

🌐 Live Demo

https://togetherly-app-production.up.railway.app

Click Demo Login on the login page, or use demo@togetherly.app / password. Admin panel: admin@togetherly.app / password.

Features

• Food Sharing: Post surplus food, browse available food from neighbors, claim items locally
• Skill Sharing: Teach and learn skills within your community
• Location-Based Feed: See only posts from your neighborhood
• In-App Messaging: Direct communication between users
• Community Ratings: Build trust through user ratings and reviews
• User Profiles: Maintain reputation with ratings and history

Tech Stack

• Backend: Laravel 10
• Database: MySQL
• Frontend: Bootstrap 5
• Language: PHP 8.1+

Prerequisites

• PHP 8.1 or higher
• Composer
• MySQL 5.7 or higher
• Node.js (for asset compilation)

Installation & Setup

1. Install Dependencies

cd togetherly_app
composer install
npm install

2. Create Environment File

cp .env.example .env

3. Generate Application Key

php artisan key:generate

4. Configure Database

Edit .env file:

DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=togetherly
DB_USERNAME=root
DB_PASSWORD=your_password

5. Create Database

mysql -u root -p
CREATE DATABASE togetherly;
EXIT;

6. Run Migrations

php artisan migrate

7. Compile Frontend Assets

npm run dev

Or for production:

npm run build

8. Create Storage Link

php artisan storage:link

9. Start the Development Server

php artisan serve

The app will be available at: http://localhost:8000

Project Structure

togetherly_app/
├── app/
│   ├── Http/Controllers/     # Route handlers
│   │   ├── AuthController.php
│   │   ├── DashboardController.php
│   │   ├── FoodPostController.php
│   │   ├── SkillPostController.php
│   │   ├── MessageController.php
│   │   └── RatingController.php
│   └── Models/               # Database models
│       ├── User.php
│       ├── FoodPost.php
│       ├── SkillPost.php
│       ├── Message.php
│       ├── Rating.php
│       └── UserProfile.php
├── database/
│   ├── migrations/           # Database schema
│   └── seeders/              # Sample data
├── resources/
│   └── views/                # Blade templates
│       ├── auth/
│       ├── food/
│       ├── skills/
│       ├── messages/
│       └── layouts/
├── routes/
│   └── web.php               # Route definitions
└── storage/                  # File uploads

Core Models & Relationships

User

• Has one UserProfile
• Has many FoodPosts
• Has many SkillPosts
• Has many sent/received Messages
• Has many given/received Ratings

FoodPost

• Belongs to User
• Has many Messages
• Has many Ratings

SkillPost

• Belongs to User
• Has many Messages
• Has many Ratings

Message

• Belongs to sender User
• Belongs to recipient User
• Belongs to FoodPost (optional)
• Belongs to SkillPost (optional)

Rating

• Belongs to rater User
• Belongs to rated User
• Belongs to FoodPost (optional)
• Belongs to SkillPost (optional)

Database Schema

Users

• id, name, email, phone, password, avatar, bio, rating, total_ratings, timestamps

User Profiles

• id, user_id, neighborhood, address, latitude, longitude, radius_km, is_verified, timestamps

Food Posts

• id, user_id, title, description, image, food_type, status, neighborhood, latitude, longitude, quantity, expires_at, timestamps, soft_delete

Skill Posts

• id, user_id, title, description, category, skill_level, available_times, neighborhood, latitude, longitude, status, timestamps, soft_delete

Messages

• id, sender_id, recipient_id, food_post_id, skill_post_id, message, is_read, read_at, timestamps

Ratings

• id, rater_id, rated_user_id, food_post_id, skill_post_id, rating, comment, timestamps

Routes Overview

Authentication

• GET /register - Register page
• POST /register - Store registration
• GET /login - Login page
• POST /login - Store login
• POST /logout - Logout

Dashboard

• GET /dashboard - Main dashboard with recent posts

Food Posts

• GET /food - List all food posts
• GET /food/create - Create food post form
• POST /food - Store food post
• GET /food/{id} - View single food post
• GET /food/{id}/edit - Edit form
• PUT /food/{id} - Update food post
• DELETE /food/{id} - Delete food post

Skill Posts

• GET /skills - List all skills
• GET /skills/create - Create skill form
• POST /skills - Store skill post
• GET /skills/{id} - View single skill
• GET /skills/{id}/edit - Edit form
• PUT /skills/{id} - Update skill
• DELETE /skills/{id} - Delete skill

Messages

• GET /messages/inbox - View inbox
• GET /messages/sent - View sent messages
• GET /messages/conversation/{userId} - View conversation with user
• POST /messages/send/{userId} - Send message

Ratings

• POST /ratings - Submit rating

Usage Guide

For Users

1. Register: Create account with name, email, phone, and neighborhood
2. Share Food: Post surplus food in under 30 seconds with photo and expiry time
3. Share Skills: List your skills and availability
4. Browse: See food/skills from your neighborhood
5. Connect: Message users to arrange pickup or lessons
6. Rate: Rate users after exchanging food or skills

For Restaurants/Businesses

1. Register as a regular user
2. Post daily surplus food
3. Build reputation through ratings
4. Access premium features to gain visibility

Next Steps (Future Features)

• Advanced location filtering and maps integration
• Push notifications for new posts
• Verified badges for restaurants/businesses
• Premium subscription tiers
• Analytics dashboard for business users
• Mobile app (React Native)
• Government grant integration
• CSR partnership program
• Multi-language support
• Expansion to other cities

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please follow Laravel coding standards.

License

This project is open source and available under the MIT license.

Support

For issues and questions:

• Email: busan@togetherly.app
• Website: togetherly.app

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Vision: A world where nothing goes to waste — not food, not knowledge, not kindness.