FindBack - Smart Lost & Found Portal

"Lost something? Find it back."

A campus-wide lost and found platform with intelligent matching and verification system

🎯 Features

• Report Lost/Found Items: Easy form to report lost items or found items on campus
• Smart Matching: Intelligent matching algorithm that pairs lost and found items based on:
  • Category matching
  • Description similarity
  • Location proximity
  • Date proximity
• Claim Verification: Structured claim process with unique feature verification
• Admin Dashboard: Admin panel for approving claims, verifying items, and managing reports
• Real-time Updates: Live notifications for matches, claims, and status updates
• Role-based Access: Student and Admin roles with appropriate permissions
• User Authentication: Google OAuth integration for secure sign-in

🛠️ Tech Stack

• Frontend: React 19 + TypeScript
• Build Tool: Vite
• Styling: Tailwind CSS v4
• Icons: Lucide React
• Animations: Motion
• Backend: Firebase (Authentication & Firestore)
• State Management: React Hooks

📋 Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18 or higher)
• A Firebase project with:
  • Authentication enabled (Google provider)
  • Firestore Database
  • Google Cloud credentials configured

🚀 Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/Tanya-garg10/FindBack-Smart-Lost-Found-Portal.git
cd FindBack-Smart-Lost-Found-Portal

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Set up Firebase:

   • Create a Firebase project at console.firebase.google.com
   • Enable Google Authentication
   • Create a Firestore Database
   • Copy your Firebase config and update src/firebase.ts with your credentials

4. Run the development server:

npm run dev

The app will be available at http://localhost:3000

📁 Project Structure

src/
├── components/          # React components
│   ├── AdminDashboardView.tsx
│   ├── DashboardView.tsx
│   ├── ItemDetailView.tsx
│   ├── Navbar.tsx
│   ├── ReportFormView.tsx
│   └── ...
├── firebase.ts          # Firebase configuration
├── matchingEngine.ts    # Item matching algorithm
├── types.ts             # TypeScript type definitions
├── demoData.ts          # Demo data for testing
└── App.tsx              # Main application component

🔧 Available Scripts

• npm run dev - Start development server
• npm run build - Build for production
• npm run preview - Preview production build
• npm run lint - Run TypeScript type checking
• npm run deploy - Build and deploy to Firebase Hosting

🚀 Deployment

Firebase Hosting (Recommended)

1. Install Firebase CLI:

npm install -g firebase-tools

2. Login to Firebase:

firebase login

3. Update .firebaserc with your Firebase project ID:

{
  "projects": {
    "default": "your-actual-project-id"
  }
}

4. Deploy:

npm run deploy

Alternative Deployment Options

• Vercel: Import repository on vercel.com and add environment variables
• Netlify: Connect GitHub repo with build command npm run build and publish directory dist
• GitHub Pages: Configure base path in vite.config.ts and use gh-pages

👥 User Roles

Student

• Report lost items
• Report found items
• Search and browse items
• Submit claims for found items
• View own reports and claims

Admin

• View all reported items
• Approve or reject claims
• Verify item ownership
• Mark items as returned
• Remove duplicate reports

🔐 Firebase Setup

1. Enable Google Sign-In in Firebase Authentication
2. Create Firestore Database in Test Mode (or configure proper rules)
3. Download Firebase config and update src/firebase.ts

📝 License

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

Copyright (c) 2026 Tanya Garg

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.