Mock Mate Backend Service

Mock Mate is a peer-to-peer mock interview platform that enables users to book slots, get matched with peers, and practice both behavioral and software engineering interviews. This repository contains the backend service for Mock Mate, built using Spring Boot, PostgreSQL, Docker, and AWS (ECS).

🚀 Features

• User Authentication (Registration, Login, Forgot Password)
• Slot Booking System (Behavioral & Technical Interviews)
• Peer Matching Algorithm (Intelligent matching based on difficulty level)
• Video Interview Integration (Using Zego UI Toolkit)
• Post-Interview Feedback (Users provide feedback and review past interviews)
• WebSocket-based Real-time Communication (For live updates)

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🛠️ Tech Stack

• Backend: Java, Spring Boot
• Database: PostgreSQL
• Containerization: Docker
• Deployment: AWS ECS
• API Documentation: Swagger
• Logging & Monitoring: Spring Boot Actuator

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📂 Project Structure

mock-mate-backend/
│── mockmate-api/       # Main backend API for authentication, booking, and interview management
│── mockmate-ws/        # WebSocket service for real-time updates and peer matching
│── deployment/         # Deployment configurations including Docker and Nginx setup
│── docker-compose.yml  # Docker setup for local development
│── README.md           # Documentation

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🚀 Getting Started

1️⃣ Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following installed on your system:

• Java 17+
• PostgreSQL
• Docker
• Maven

2️⃣ Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/your-repo/mock-mate-backend.git
cd mock-mate-backend

3️⃣ Setup Environment Variables

Create an .env file in the deployment/ directory with the following variables:

SPRING_DATASOURCE_URL=jdbc:postgresql://postgres:5432/mockmate
SPRING_DATASOURCE_USERNAME=your_db_username
SPRING_DATASOURCE_PASSWORD=your_db_password
JWT_SECRET=your_secret_key
AWS_ACCESS_KEY=your_aws_access_key
AWS_SECRET_KEY=your_aws_secret_key

4️⃣ Running the Application

Using Docker Compose

docker-compose up --build

Without Docker

mvn clean install
java -jar target/mockmate-api.jar
java -jar target/mockmate-ws.jar

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📌 API Endpoints

Endpoint	Method	Description
/auth/register	POST	Register a new user
/auth/login	POST	User login with JWT authentication
/slots/book	POST	Book a mock interview slot
/match/waiting-room	GET	Fetch available interview slots
/match/pair	POST	Pairs users for mock interviews
/interview/start	POST	Start a video interview session
/feedback/submit	POST	Submit feedback after an interview

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🔄 WebSocket Communication

The WebSocket Service (mockmate-ws) handles real-time peer matching and live interview updates.

WebSocket Endpoints:

Endpoint	Description
/ws/connect	Connect to WebSocket
/ws/match	Receive live match updates
/ws/interview/live	Handle live interview interactions

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📌 Peer Matching Algorithm

The Peer Matching Algorithm pairs users based on:

1. Difficulty Preference: Users choose Easy (E), Medium (M), or Hard (H).
2. Pairing Logic:
   • Users with the same difficulty are paired together first.
   • If an exact match isn’t available, the next closest match is chosen.

Example:

Room: E1, E2, M1, H1, H2
Pairs: {E1, E2}, {M1, H1}, {H2 waits}

A cron job runs at fixed intervals to match pending users.

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📌 Future Enhancements

✅ WebSockets for real-time updates (instead of short polling) ✅ Collaborative coding editor for software engineering interviews ✅ In-app notifications for slot availability & peer matching ✅ Interview analytics dashboard to track progress over time

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🔐 Security & Authentication

• JWT-based authentication for user sessions.
• Secure API endpoints using Spring Security.
• Password hashing using BCrypt.

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📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

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🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repo
2. Create a new branch (feature-xyz)
3. Commit your changes
4. Submit a pull request

We welcome contributions from the community! 🚀