Lern – AI-Powered Study Assistant

Lern is a modern, full-stack AI-powered study assistant built with Next.js, Material-UI, Firebase, and Groq AI. It provides intelligent conversational learning with persistent conversation storage.

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🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• PostgreSQL 14+
• Firebase project
• Groq API key

Setup

1. Clone & Install

   git clone <repo>
   cd lern
   pnpm install

2. Configure Environment Variables

   Create .env.local in project root with:

   # Firebase (from https://console.firebase.google.com)
   NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_API_KEY=your-key
   NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_AUTH_DOMAIN=your-project.firebaseapp.com
   NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID=your-project-id
   NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_STORAGE_BUCKET=your-project.appspot.com
   NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_MESSAGING_SENDER_ID=your-sender-id
   NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_APP_ID=your-app-id
   
   # Groq API (from https://console.groq.com/keys)
   GROQ_API_KEY=your-groq-key
   
   # Backend
   NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=http://localhost:3001/api

   📖 Detailed Guide: See SETUP_ENV.md

3. Start Development

   # Frontend (port 3000)
   pnpm dev
   
   # Backend (in another terminal)
   cd src/server
   npm install
   npm run migrate  # First time only
   npm run dev

4. Access the App

   • Frontend: http://localhost:3000
   • Backend: http://localhost:3001

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✨ Features

• 🧠 AI Chat - Multi-turn conversations with Groq AI
• 🔐 Firebase Auth - Email/password authentication with tiers
• 💬 Conversations - Persistent storage with PostgreSQL
• 🎨 Material-UI - Modern, responsive design
• 🌓 Dark/Light Mode - Theme toggle with localStorage persistence
• 📱 Responsive - Mobile-first design
• 🔄 Real-time - WebSocket-ready architecture

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📚 Documentation

Document	Purpose
SETUP_ENV.md	Firebase & environment setup
FULL_STACK_GUIDE.md	Complete integration guide
SERVER_SETUP.md	Backend server setup
IMPLEMENTATION_SUMMARY.md	Technical details
CLEANUP_SUMMARY.md	Project structure overview

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🧩 Architecture

1️⃣ Landing Page

Purpose: Public-facing page to introduce the app and convert visitors to users.

Sections:

• Hero Section (Tagline + CTA)
• Core Features Overview
• Screenshots or App Preview
• About the Project/Team
• Login / Signup Button

Tech:

• React + TailwindCSS
• Framer Motion for animation
• Deployed via Vercel

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2️⃣ Authentication Page

Purpose: Secure user login and registration

Features:

• Email + password login
• Optionally add Google OAuth
• Firebase Auth or JWT (via Node)

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3️⃣ Main Dashboard

Purpose: User workspace with notes and AI tutor

📒 Notes Section

• Create, edit, delete, and search notes
• Tag-based or folder organization
• Notes saved to MongoDB with timestamps

🤖 AI Assistant Section

• Chatbot interface for asking study questions
• Suggest prompt buttons like:
  • "Summarize this note"
  • "Quiz me"
  • "Explain this simply"
• Use OpenAI or Claude API

🧠 Smart Features (Optional):

• Auto-highlight key points in notes
• Generate quizzes from note content
• Study suggestions (based on usage)
• Pomodoro timer integration

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⚙️ Tech Stack

Area	Tech
Frontend	React + Tailwind + Framer Motion
Backend	Node.js + Express
Database	MongoDB Atlas
Auth	Firebase Auth / JWT
AI Assistant	OpenAI API / Claude / Gemini
Hosting	Vercel (frontend), Render/Railway (backend)

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🧪 Stretch Features

• Markdown support in notes
• Export notes to PDF
• Voice-to-text note input
• Collaborative notes (real-time)

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🎁 Showcase Extras (Optional)

• Demo mode without login
• Dark mode
• Responsive design (mobile/tablet support)

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📌 Next Steps

• Design landing page layout
• Set up auth (Firebase or custom backend)
• Build notes dashboard
• Integrate AI API
• Deploy and test

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✨ "Lern" — Minimal Notes. Maximum Focus.