📚 BookBridge Sri Lanka – A Second-Hand Book Exchange Platform for Uni Students 🇱🇰
Hey devs! 👋
I’ve been working on a project called BookBridge Sri Lanka – a web platform designed to help university students buy, sell, or exchange used textbooks and reference books at affordable prices.
The GitHub repo is currently private, but I wanted to share what I've built and get your feedback. After finishing the project, I decided to make it public.
🎯 The Problem It Solves
In Sri Lanka, university reference books can cost anywhere from LKR 1,500 to 8,000+. Right now, students rely on chaotic WhatsApp groups to find books.
BookBridge provides a dedicated, trusted, and organized marketplace just for students.
✨ Key Features
- 👤 User registration & login
- 📚 Post books for sale / exchange
- 🔍 Search & filter books by category, price, or condition
- 💬 In-platform messaging between buyers & sellers
- ⭐ Seller reviews & ratings
- 🔖 Wishlist to save books
- 🛡️ Admin dashboard for moderation
- 📱 Fully mobile responsive
🛠️ Built With
- Frontend: HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, Bootstrap 5
- Backend: PHP 8.x
- Database: MySQL 8.x
- Tools: XAMPP/WAMP, VS Code, Git
🚀 How It Works (Local Setup)
- Clone the repo (private, but I can share structure below)
- Move to
C:\wamp64\www\bookbridge\ - Import
database/bookbridge_db.sqlvia phpMyAdmin - Update
includes/db.phpwith your DB credentials - Run
http://localhost/bookbridge/
📁 Quick Project Structure
bookbridge/
├── admin/ → Dashboard, manage users & books
├── assets/ → CSS, JS, images
├── database/ → SQL export
├── includes/ → Header, footer, DB connection, auth check
├── uploads/ → Book cover images
├── index.php → Homepage
├── register.php → Registration
├── login.php → Login
├── listings.php → Browse books
├── post-book.php → Add new book
├── messages.php → Messaging system
├── wishlist.php → Saved books
├── review.php → Ratings & reviews
└── ...
👩💻 About Me
Sayuri Kotikawaththa
2nd Year, Web Programming @ BCI Campus, Negombo, Sri Lanka
📧 annsayu12@gmail.com
❓ Feedback I’d Love From You
- How can I improve the user experience for buyers & sellers?
- Any security or performance tips for a PHP + MySQL student project?
- Would you use something like this as a student? Why or why not?
Thanks for reading! 🙌
If you’d like to see the code or collaborate, drop a comment or DM me – happy to grant access to serious contributors.
This article was originally published by DEV Community and written by Sayuri Kotikawaththa.
Read original article on DEV Community