uKnight

Mission: To create a high-fidelity, university-exclusive distinct connection platform. Aesthetic: "Vercel-Minimalism" — Dark mode default, sans-serif typography (Inter/Geist), high contrast, zero clutter.

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🚀 Overview

uKnight is where spontaneity meets safety. Inspired by platforms like Omegle but designed exclusively for the university community, uKnight leverages verified .edu authentication to create a "walled garden" for students to connect, collaborate, and network.

Why uKnight?

• Verified Community: Only students with valid university emails can join.
• High Performance: Real-time video/audio via WebRTC with sub-100ms matchmaking.
• Premium UX: A sleek, minimal interface designed for speed and clarity.

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🛠️ The Stack

Frontend

• Framework: Next.js 14+ (App Router)
• Styling: Tailwind CSS + Framer Motion (for high-fidelity animations)
• UI: Shadcn/ui (Accessible, monochrome-clean components)

Backend

• Core: Java Spring Boot 21
• Real-time: WebSockets (STOMP protocol)
• Matchmaking: Redis In-Memory Data Store
• Database: PostgreSQL

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🏗️ Architecture

graph TD
    User[User Client] -->|HTTPS/Next.js| Vercel[Frontend Host]
    User -->|WebSocket| LB[Load Balancer]
    User -->|WebRTC P2P| Peer[Peer Client]
    
    LB --> Spring[Spring Boot Cluster]
    
    Spring -->|Read/Write| Postgres[(PostgreSQL)]
    Spring -->|Queue/Match| Redis[(Redis)]
    
    subgraph "The Magic"
        Redis --> Matchmaker[Matchmaking Service]
        Matchmaker --> Spring
    end

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✨ Features

Phase 1: The Skeleton

• Auth System: Secure login restricted to .edu domains.
• Lobby UI: Real-time "Online Knights" counter.
• [/] Matchmaking: WebSocket-driven pairing queue.

Phase 2: The Connection (In Progress)

• WebRTC Video: Ultra-low latency P2P video/audio streams.
• Instant Skip: One-click disconnect and re-queue.
• Text Fallback: Persistent chat during video sessions.

Phase 3: The Polish

• Interest Matching: Tag-based filtering (e.g., Major, Hobbies).
• AI Guard: Real-time moderation layer for safety.

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🚦 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Docker & Docker Compose
• Node.js 18+
• Java 21 & Maven

Quick Start (Docker)

The easiest way to get uKnight running locally is via Docker Compose:

docker-compose up --build

• Frontend: http://localhost:3000
• Backend: http://localhost:8080

Manual Setup

Backend

cd backend/server
./mvnw spring-boot:run

Frontend

cd frontend
npm install
npm run dev

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📄 License

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

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Built with ❤️ for the University Community.