StudyNook – Study Room Booking Platform
About the Project
StudyNook is a full-stack study room booking platform built with Next.js, Node.js, Express, and MongoDB. It allows students, researchers, and library users to explore, book, and manage study spaces with real-time availability. The platform features secure JWT authentication stored in HTTP-only cookies, conflict-free booking with automatic time-slot validation, full CRUD operations for room owners, and a responsive dashboard to track bookings, cancellations, and listed rooms. Built with a focus on security, user experience, and deployment readiness.
Challenges Faced
Implementing JWT authentication with HTTP-only cookies and JWKS verification using Better Auth was a significant learning curve. Managing the authentication state across the entire application and ensuring protected routes worked correctly required careful planning. The booking conflict detection with MongoDB operators also needed precise query logic to prevent overlaps effectively.
Future Improvements
Add email notifications for booking confirmations and reminders, integrate payment processing for hourly rates, implement a calendar view for room availability, and add a rating/review system for rooms.