Co.Worker

Where Clients Meet the World's Best Freelancers

A full-stack freelance marketplace platform built for the modern economy.
Post projects. Bid on work. Get paid. All in one place.

Live Demo →  ·  GitHub →  ·  Report Bug

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🚀 What is Co.Worker?

Co.Worker is a production-grade freelance marketplace where clients post projects and freelancers bid to win work — similar to Fiverr and Upwork, but built from scratch with modern architecture.

For Clients	For Freelancers
Post projects with budget & duration	Build a verified profile & portfolio
Browse top talent by category & skill	Bid on projects that match your expertise
Secure escrow payment system	Real-time chat with clients
Release payment on completion	Get paid to your wallet — withdraw anytime
Rate & review your freelancer	Build reputation through ratings

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✨ Core Features

👤 User System

• Dual role — switch between Client and Freelancer mode
• JWT-based authentication with protected routes
• Profile pages with avatar, bio, skills, and portfolio
• Verified freelancer badge system

📋 Project & Bidding System

• Clients post projects with title, budget, duration, and required tech stack
• Freelancers browse and place bids with custom proposals
• Real-time bid tracking and status updates
• Category filters — Web Dev, UI/UX, AI/ML, Full Stack, and more

💬 Real-Time Chat

• Socket.io powered instant messaging
• Typing indicators and online/offline status
• Seen receipts (✓✓)
• Unread badge count on navbar
• Persistent conversation history

💳 Secure Payment & Escrow System

• Razorpay integration for client payments
• Escrow model — money is held by platform until work is approved
• 24-hour auto-release timer after client marks project complete
• Freelancer wallet with withdrawable and pending balance
• Withdrawal request system with admin approval

🏦 Wallet System

• Real-time balance tracking
• Full transaction history
• Withdrawal via UPI or Bank Transfer
• Platform fee deduction on each transaction

⭐ Ratings & Reviews

• Clients rate freelancers after project completion
• Star rating + written review
• Rating displayed on freelancer profile and talent cards

🛡️ Admin Dashboard

• View and manage all payments and escrow
• Approve or reject withdrawal requests
• Monitor platform activity

📱 Fully Responsive

• Mobile-first design
• Tailwind CSS utility-first styling
• Works across all screen sizes

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🛠️ Tech Stack

Layer	Technology
Frontend	React 18, Redux Toolkit, React Router v6
Styling	Tailwind CSS, Custom Animations
State Management	Redux Toolkit, RTK Thunks
Backend	Node.js, Express.js
Database	MongoDB, Mongoose ODM
Real-Time	Socket.io (WebSockets)
Payments	Razorpay (Orders + Signature Verification)
Auth	JWT (JSON Web Tokens)
Deployment	Vercel (Frontend) + Render (Backend)
Scheduling	node-cron (auto escrow release)

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📸 Screenshots

Screenshots from the live production app

🏠 Talent Discovery Page

👤 Freelancer Profile

💬 Real-Time Chat

💼 Find Work (Browse Projects)

💰 Wallet Dashboard

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💳 Payment Flow

CLIENT PAYS
    │
    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│          RAZORPAY PAYMENT GATEWAY           │
│   (Signature verified on backend — secure)  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
    │
    ▼
ESCROW (Platform holds funds)
    │
    ▼ Client marks project complete
PENDING RELEASE (24hr review window)
    │
    ▼ Auto-released via cron job
FREELANCER WALLET (withdrawable balance)
    │
    ▼ Freelancer requests withdrawal
BANK / UPI (Admin processes payout)

Platform fee is deducted per category (₹11–₹24) at time of payment.
No fake payments — Razorpay signature is verified server-side before any escrow is created.

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⚡ Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js v18+
• MongoDB Atlas account (or local MongoDB)
• Razorpay test account

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/amitbhallavi/co.worker.git
cd co.worker

2. Install Dependencies

# Install backend dependencies
cd server
npm install

# Install frontend dependencies
cd ../client
npm install

3. Configure Environment Variables

Create .env in the /server folder:

# Database
MONGO_URI=mongodb+srv://<user>:<password>@cluster.mongodb.net/coworker

# Auth
JWT_SECRET=your_super_secret_jwt_key

# Razorpay
RAZORPAY_KEY_ID=rzp_test_xxxxxxxxxxxx
RAZORPAY_KEY_SECRET=xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

# App
PORT=5000
CLIENT_URL=http://localhost:5173
NODE_ENV=development

Create .env in the /client folder:

VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:5000

4. Run the Application

# Terminal 1 — Start backend
cd server
npm run dev

# Terminal 2 — Start frontend
cd client
npm run dev

App runs on http://localhost:5173

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📁 Project Structure

co.worker/
│
├── client/                     # React Frontend
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── components/         # Reusable UI components
│   │   ├── features/           # Redux slices (auth, project, freelancer, wallet, chat)
│   │   ├── pages/              # Page components (Home, Profile, Chat, Wallet...)
│   │   ├── app/                # Redux store configuration
│   │   └── main.jsx            # App entry point
│   └── vite.config.js
│
├── server/                     # Node.js Backend
│   ├── controllers/            # Business logic (auth, project, payment, wallet, chat)
│   ├── models/                 # Mongoose schemas (User, Project, Payment, Wallet...)
│   ├── routes/                 # Express route definitions
│   ├── middleware/             # Auth middleware (JWT protect)
│   ├── socket/                 # Socket.io handler
│   └── server.js               # Express + HTTP server entry
│
└── README.md

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🔐 Environment Variables Reference

Variable	Location	Description
MONGO_URI	server	MongoDB connection string
JWT_SECRET	server	Secret key for JWT signing
RAZORPAY_KEY_ID	server	Razorpay API key (public)
RAZORPAY_KEY_SECRET	server	Razorpay API secret
CLIENT_URL	server	Frontend URL (for CORS + Socket)
PORT	server	Backend server port (default 5000)
VITE_API_URL	client	Backend API base URL

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🗺️ Roadmap

Feature	Status
✅ User Authentication (JWT)	Done
✅ Freelancer Profile & Portfolio	Done
✅ Project Posting & Bidding	Done
✅ Real-Time Chat (Socket.io)	Done
✅ Escrow Payment System (Razorpay)	Done
✅ Wallet + Withdrawal System	Done
✅ Admin Dashboard	Done
✅ Responsive UI	Done
🔄 Ratings & Reviews System	In Progress
🔄 Notifications (in-app + email)	Planned
🔄 AI-powered freelancer matching	Planned
🔄 Advanced analytics dashboard	Planned
🔄 Mobile app (React Native)	Planned

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Here's how:

# 1. Fork the repo
# 2. Create your feature branch
git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

# 3. Commit your changes
git commit -m "feat: add your feature"

# 4. Push to your branch
git push origin feature/your-feature-name

# 5. Open a Pull Request

Please follow the existing code style and keep PRs focused on a single feature or fix.

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📜 License

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

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👨‍💻 Author

Amit Bhallavi

Built with ❤️ — MERN Stack · Socket.io · Razorpay

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