🏡 WanderLust – A Full Stack Vacation Rental Booking Platform

📖 Overview

WanderLust is a full-stack web application inspired by Airbnb that allows users to discover, list, and manage vacation rental properties. The platform provides a seamless experience for both travelers looking for accommodations and property owners who want to share their listings.

Built using the MERN-inspired stack (MongoDB, Express.js, Node.js, EJS) along with authentication and cloud image storage, WanderLust demonstrates modern full-stack web development concepts, including user authentication, CRUD operations, image uploads, reviews, and responsive UI.

✨ Features

🔐 Secure User Authentication (Sign Up, Login & Logout)
🏠 Create, Edit, and Delete Property Listings
📸 Upload Listing Images using Cloudinary
⭐ Add and Manage Reviews & Ratings
👤 User Authorization (Only owners can edit/delete their listings)
🔍 Browse all available properties
📱 Responsive User Interface
⚡ Flash Messages for Better User Experience
🗄️ MongoDB Database Integration

🛠️ Tech Stack

Frontend

HTML5
CSS3
Bootstrap 5
EJS Templates
JavaScript

Backend

Node.js
Express.js

Database

MongoDB
Mongoose

Authentication & Security

Passport.js
Passport Local
Express Session
Connect Flash

Cloud Services

Cloudinary (Image Storage)
Multer (File Uploads)

Deployment

Render
MongoDB Atlas

📂 Project Architecture

WanderLust
│
├── models/
├── routes/
├── controllers/
├── views/
├── public/
├── middleware/
├── utils/
├── app.js
└── package.json

The project follows the MVC (Model–View–Controller) architecture, making the code modular, organized, and easy to maintain.

🚀 Key Functionalities

User Authentication

Users can register for a new account, securely log in, and log out. Authentication is handled using Passport.js with encrypted passwords.

Property Management

Authenticated users can:

Create new listings
Upload property images
Edit their listings
Delete their listings

Ownership verification ensures only the listing owner can modify or remove their property.

Review System

Visitors can share their experiences by adding reviews and ratings to listings, helping future travelers make informed decisions.

Image Uploads

Property images are uploaded to Cloudinary, reducing server storage requirements and improving performance.

💡 What I Learned

While building WanderLust, I gained hands-on experience with:

Building RESTful APIs
CRUD Operations
Authentication & Authorization
Session Management
MVC Architecture
MongoDB & Mongoose
Cloudinary Integration
File Upload Handling
Express Middleware
Deployment on Render
Connecting MongoDB Atlas
Error Handling & Validation