🧠 SkillSync — Peer-to-Peer Learning & Mentorship Platform

A Spring Boot–based open-source project for Hacktoberfest 2025 focused on real-world backend development and contribution.
SkillSync is a peer-to-peer learning network where learners and mentors connect based on shared skills and interests.

This project is created to encourage open-source collaboration among students and developers who want to gain practical Spring Boot experience.
Every contribution matters — from fixing bugs to building new APIs or improving documentation. 🚀

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How to Contribute

• Check contributing.md for details on how to work with github.
• Go to the Issues find an issue for you.
• If you completely understand the issue then leave a comment to owner to assing that issue.
• Once you are assigned the issue, start working on it and finally make your PR.
• If you find a bug or want to add a new feature then you can specify it by adding a new issue. We will look into it and assign it.
• If you have added some new dependancy then make sure that that dependancy is stable and do not forget to mention in to the PR and also update the README file.

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🧩 Project Overview

SkillSync is designed to create a space where:

• Learners can find mentors in specific topics (e.g., Java, Spring Boot, Cloud, etc.).
• Mentors can share knowledge or guide learners in their area of expertise.
• Both can chat, collaborate, and grow together.

This project focuses on real-world backend architecture, including:

• Entity relationships (User ↔ Skills)
• RESTful APIs
• Service-layer logic
• Data persistence using MySQL and JPA
• Scalable design for future modules (matching algorithm, chat, mentorship scheduling, etc.)

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🏗️ Tech Stack

Layer	Technology
Backend	Spring Boot
ORM / DB	Spring Data JPA + MySQL
Build Tool	Maven
Language	Java 21+
Version Control	Git + GitHub
Open Source Event	Hacktoberfest 2025

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🧾 Project Setup

git clone https://github.com/MSTC-DA-IICT/Hacktoberfest2k25_springboot_SkillSync.git

Before running the project, you must create a file named application.properties inside src/main/resources/.

You can use the application.properties.example file as a reference for how to set up your configuration.

Important: The filename must be exactly application.properties 

Example configuration:

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# DATABASE CONFIGURATION
# ----------------------------------------
spring.datasource.url=jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/your_database_name
spring.datasource.username=your_username
spring.datasource.password=yourpassword

# ----------------------------------------
# JPA / HIBERNATE SETTINGS
# ----------------------------------------
spring.jpa.hibernate.ddl-auto=update
spring.jpa.show-sql=true