📚 Smart Library Management System (Smart LMS)

A smart, responsive, and automated Library Management System built with Next.js, Prisma, PostgreSQL, and TypeScript.
Designed for modern educational institutions to simplify book management, fine payments, and QR-based issuing with real-time dashboards for both students and librarians.

---

🚀 Tech Stack

Technology	Description
Next.js 15 (App Router)	React framework with server-side rendering
TypeScript	Strict typing for scalable and bug-free code
Prisma ORM	Type-safe ORM for PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL	Robust relational database
Tailwind CSS	Responsive utility-first CSS framework
JWT Authentication	Secure authentication and authorization
PhonePe API	Payment gateway integration for fine payments
Cloudinary	Cloud-based image and media management

---

✨ Features

• 🔹 QR Code based Book Issue & Return
• 🔹 Fine Payment Integration using PhonePe API
• 🔹 Role-based Dashboards for Students and Librarians
• 🔹 Real-time Reports for issued, returned, and overdue books
• 🔹 Advanced Search and Filters
• 🔹 Fully Normalized Database Schema
• 🔹 Secure JWT-based Authentication
• 🔹 Cloud Image Storage with Cloudinary
• 🔹 Responsive UI using Tailwind CSS

---

⚙️ Complete Setup Guide

Follow these instructions step-by-step to set up and run the Smart LMS project locally.

---

1️⃣ Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/smart-lms.git
cd smart-lms

---

2️⃣ Install Dependencies

Using npm or yarn to install all required packages:

npm install
# OR
yarn install

---

3️⃣ Set Up PostgreSQL Database

Open your PostgreSQL shell or GUI tool (like DBeaver, Postico, or pgAdmin) and create a new database:

CREATE DATABASE smart_lms_db;

---

4️⃣ Set Up Cloudinary Account

Cloudinary is used to store and manage book cover images and user profile pictures.

Steps to get Cloudinary credentials:

1. Create a free account at https://cloudinary.com/users/register_free

2. Verify your email and log in to the Cloudinary Dashboard

3. Navigate to the Dashboard - After logging in, you'll see your account details at the top

4. Copy the following credentials from your Dashboard:

   • Cloud Name (e.g., dxxxxxxxxxxxxx)
   • Upload Preset (e.g., smart_lms_preset)

5. Create an Upload Preset (Optional but recommended):

   • Go to Settings → Upload → Upload presets
   • Click Add upload preset
   • Set Signing Mode to Unsigned
   • Set Folder to something like smart-lms (optional)
   • Copy the Upload Preset Name (e.g., smart_lms_preset)

---

5️⃣ Configure Environment Variables

Create a .env.local file in the project root directory by copying the example file:

cp .env.example .env.local

Now open .env.local and add your credentials:

# PostgreSQL Database URL
# Format: postgresql://USER:PASSWORD@HOST:PORT/DATABASE
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://postgres:yourpassword@localhost:5432/smart_lms_db"

# JWT Secret for token signing
JWT_SECRET=your_super_strong_jwt_secret

# Node environment
NODE_ENV=development

# Cloudinary Configuration
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloud_name
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLOUDINARY_UPLOAD_PRESET=your_upload_preset

# Payment Gateway (PhonePe)
MERCHANT_BASE_URL=
MERCHANT_STATUS_URL=
MERCHANT_KEY=
MERCHANT_ID=

# Custom Encryption (if applicable)
ENCRYPTION_SECRET=super_secret_passphrase
IV_LENGTH=16

Important Notes:

• Replace your_cloud_name, your_api_key, your_api_secret, and your_upload_preset with your actual Cloudinary credentials
• The NEXT_PUBLIC_ prefix is required for environment variables that need to be accessible in the browser
• Keep your CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET secure and never commit it to version control

---

6️⃣ Run Prisma Migrations

Use Prisma ORM to create database tables and schema automatically.

npx prisma migrate dev

If you make schema changes later, regenerate the Prisma client:

npx prisma generate

---

7️⃣ Run the Development Server

Start your local development server:

npm run dev

The application will start at:

http://localhost:3000

---

📸 Cloudinary Usage in the Application

Image Upload Features:

1. Book Cover Images

   • Librarians can upload book cover images when adding new books
   • Images are automatically optimized and stored in Cloudinary
   • Supports JPG, PNG, and WebP formats

2. User Profile Pictures

   • Students and librarians can upload profile pictures
   • Automatic image resizing and optimization
   • Secure URL generation for displaying images

3. QR Code Storage

   • Generated QR codes for books are stored in Cloudinary
   • Easy retrieval and display in the application

Image Optimization:

• Automatic format conversion to WebP for better performance
• Responsive image delivery based on device size
• CDN-based delivery for faster loading times

---

🔒 Security Best Practices

• Never commit your .env.local file to version control
• Add .env.local to your .gitignore file
• Use strong, unique values for JWT_SECRET and ENCRYPTION_SECRET
• Keep your Cloudinary API credentials secure
• Regularly rotate your API keys and secrets

---

📝 Additional Configuration

Optional Cloudinary Settings:

You can customize Cloudinary behavior by adding these optional variables to .env.local:

# Optional: Cloudinary folder structure
CLOUDINARY_FOLDER=smart-lms

# Optional: Maximum file size (in bytes, default: 5MB)
MAX_FILE_SIZE=5242880

# Optional: Allowed file formats
ALLOWED_IMAGE_FORMATS=jpg,jpeg,png,webp

---

🐛 Troubleshooting

Cloudinary Issues:

1. "Invalid API credentials" error:

   • Double-check your Cloud Name, API Key, and API Secret
   • Ensure there are no extra spaces in the .env.local file

2. Upload failing with unsigned preset:

   • Verify that your upload preset exists and is set to "Unsigned" mode
   • Check that the preset name matches exactly

3. Images not displaying:

   • Verify that NEXT_PUBLIC_CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME is correctly set
   • Check browser console for any CORS or network errors

Database Issues:

• If migrations fail, ensure PostgreSQL is running and credentials are correct
• Reset database: npx prisma migrate reset (⚠️ This will delete all data)

---

📚 Useful Commands

# Reset and seed database
npx prisma migrate reset

# Open Prisma Studio (Database GUI)
npx prisma studio

# Generate Prisma Client
npx prisma generate

# Build for production
npm run build

# Start production server
npm start

---

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please follow these steps:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

---

📄 License

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

---

📧 Contact

For questions or support, please open an issue on GitHub or contact the maintainers.

---

Happy Coding! 🎉