Attestify

Attestify is a decentralized, secure, and instant academic credential verification platform. By leveraging blockchain technology (Ethereum/Sepolia) and IPFS, Attestify provides immutable proof of academic achievements, eliminating certificate fraud and streamlining the verification process for students, universities, and employers.

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Key Features

• On-Chain Verification: Credentials are cryptographically hashed and verified against records on the Ethereum blockchain.
• Soulbound Tokens (SBTs): Support for ERC-721 Soulbound Tokens representing non-transferable, permanent academic credentials.
• Instant Verification Portal: Public interface for verifying certificates via on-chain hash checks or PDF file uploads.
• Dynamic PDF Generation: Automatic generation of official certificates and transcripts with secure embedded QR codes.
• Multi-Role System:
  • Issuers (Universities): Dashboard to manage authorized signers, issue single/batch credentials, and revoke records.
  • Students (Recipients): Portal to view credentials, manage profiles, track activity, and export PDFs.
  • Verifiers (Employers): Interface to instantly verify validity without requiring database access.
• Decentralized Storage: Document metadata and assets are secured via IPFS.

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Tech Stack

Frontend

• Framework: React 19 + Vite
• Styling: TailwindCSS
• State & Routing: React Context API, React Router DOM
• Interactions: Framer Motion
• Web3 Integration: Ethers.js (v6)

Backend

• Runtime: Node.js + Express
• Database: MongoDB (via Mongoose)
• File Processing: PDFKit, Multer, CSV Parser
• Integrations: Nodemailer, Pinata IPFS SDK

Blockchain

• Smart Contracts: Solidity (v0.8.20)
• Development Environment: Hardhat
• Base Standards: OpenZeppelin (ERC721URIStorage, Ownable, ReentrancyGuard)

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Directory Structure

attestify/
├── backend/            # Express API, PDF generation, email services
├── blockchain/         # Hardhat project, Solidity contracts, and deployment scripts
├── frontend/           # React application & dashboard interfaces
└── scripts/            # Repository mapping and sync tools

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following installed:

• Node.js (v18+)
• MongoDB
• MetaMask browser extension

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Setup Instructions

1. Smart Contracts

Navigate to the blockchain directory, install dependencies, and compile contracts:

cd blockchain
npm install
npm run compile

To run a local blockchain node for testing:

npx hardhat node

To deploy the contracts (e.g., to Sepolia testnet):

npm run deploy:sepolia

2. Backend API Server

Navigate to the backend directory, install dependencies, and start the development server:

cd ../backend
npm install

Configure your environment variables by creating a .env file in the backend/ root:

PORT=5000
MONGODB_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
SEPOLIA_RPC_URL=your_infura_or_alchemy_url
ADMIN_PRIVATE_KEY=your_wallet_private_key
PINATA_API_KEY=your_pinata_key
PINATA_SECRET_API_KEY=your_pinata_secret
SMTP_HOST=your_smtp_host
SMTP_PORT=your_smtp_port
SMTP_USER=your_smtp_user
SMTP_PASS=your_smtp_password

Start the server:

npm run dev

3. Frontend Client

Navigate to the frontend directory, install dependencies, and start the Vite dev server:

cd ../frontend
npm install

Configure your environment variables by creating a .env file in the frontend/ root:

VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:5000/api
VITE_CONTRACT_ADDRESS=your_deployed_contract_address

Start the client:

npm run dev

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.