SkillBridge — Peer-to-Peer Skill Exchange Platform

A Django-based skill exchange platform where users teach skills they have and learn skills they want — without any monetary transaction.
Peer-to-peer skill sharing · Skill credit economy · Verified teaching · Free for everyone

Stack: Django 5.x · PostgreSQL 14+ · Django Templates · Tailwind CSS (CDN) · Alpine.js (minimal)

Project Overview
Problem Statement
Objectives
Tech Stack
Prerequisites
Local Setup
Environment Variables
Database Setup
Running the Server
Project Structure
Database Models
Frontend Pages
API Endpoints
Skill Matching Engine
Skill Exchange System
Skill Verification System
Authentication
Admin Panel
Testing
Deployment
Common Issues & Fixes

Project Overview

SkillBridge is a server-rendered Django application for peer-to-peer skill exchange. Users offer to teach skills they have and request to learn skills they want — no money involved. The platform uses a skill credit economy and a simplified 3-level verification system (self-declared, community rated, platform tested) to build trust.

Core Features

Feature	Description
Session Authentication	Django session-based login (no JWT for pages)
Skill Management	Add teachable and learnable skills with proficiency, hours, and urgency
Skill Matching	Simple keyword/string matching (no AI/ML) to find exchange partners
Exchange Proposals	Send, accept, reject skill exchange requests with optional messages
Session Scheduling	Schedule exchange sessions with date, duration, and meeting link
Session Ratings	Rate each other 1–5 after session completion
Skill Credit Economy	Earn/spend credits for teaching/learning; beginner tokens for new users
Skill Verification	3-level verification: self-declared, community rated, platform tested
On-site Exams	Admin-created exams with weighted objective/subjective questions, auto-grading
Portfolio	Showcase projects and auto-generated exam certificates
Admin Panel	User management, exam creation, certificate approval, analytics, bulk verify
Notifications	In-app notifications for proposals and exchanges

Platform Philosophy

"Everyone has something to teach. Everyone has something to learn. No money required."

Pure learners (no skills to offer) earn credits through referrals, feedback, or community contributions
Skill credits system ensures fair exchange without currency
Beginner tokens (5 free on signup) let anyone start learning immediately
Verification badges (3 levels) build trust in skill claims

Problem Statement

The major issues that motivated this project are:

Problem	Description
Skills-Industry Gap	Graduates often lack skills required by the job market, resulting in high unemployment or underemployment
Lack of Accessible Learning	Expensive courses and training programs are inaccessible to many
Poor Peer Learning Infrastructure	No formal structure to share skills and encourage collaborative learning
Information Asymmetry	Students lack access to current information about in-demand skills and industry trends
Limited Portfolio Tools	Students lack tools to create professional portfolios showcasing projects and certifications
Trust Deficit	Hard to verify claimed skills without expensive third-party certification

These issues limit professional development and decrease human capital productivity. SkillBridge directly addresses these problem dimensions through an integrated digital platform.

Objectives

Main Objective

To provide a web-based skill exchange platform that enables students and young professionals to teach and learn skills from peers — all without monetary transactions.

Specific Objectives

#	Objective
1	Enable users to register, log in, and manage their profile securely
2	Allow users to add teachable skills (skill, proficiency, weekly hours)
3	Allow users to add learnable skills (skill, motivation, urgency)
4	Match users with complementary skills using simple keyword matching
5	Enable skill exchange proposals with accept/reject workflow
6	Schedule and rate exchange sessions
7	Transfer skill credits automatically after completed sessions
8	Build a 3-level skill verification system (self-declared, community rated, platform tested)
9	Provide admin tools for exam creation, certificate approval, and analytics
10	Help users build professional portfolios with projects and verified certifications

Tech Stack

Layer	Technology	Version
Language	Python	3.10+
Web Framework	Django	5.x
Database	PostgreSQL	14+
Frontend	Django Templates + Tailwind CSS (CDN) + Alpine.js	—
Authentication	Django sessions	—
Admin	Django Admin + custom overrides	—
File Storage	Local MEDIA_ROOT	—

Prerequisites

Make sure the following are installed:

Python 3.10+ — python.org
PostgreSQL 14+ — postgresql.org
pip (comes with Python)
Git

Verify installations:

python --version       # Python 3.10+
psql --version         # psql 14+
pip --version
git --version

Local Setup

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/your-org/skillbridge-backend.git
cd skillbridge-backend

2. Create and activate virtual environment

# Create
python -m venv venv

# Activate — macOS / Linux
source venv/bin/activate

# Activate — Windows
venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Create `.env` file

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env with your local values (see Environment Variables).

5. Run database migrations

python manage.py makemigrations
python manage.py migrate

6. Create superuser (admin)

python manage.py createsuperuser

7. (Optional) Load seed data

python manage.py loaddata fixtures/initial_skills.json
python manage.py loaddata fixtures/initial_users.json

8. Start development server

python manage.py runserver

Service	URL
App	`http://localhost:8000/`
Admin Panel	`http://localhost:8000/admin/`

Environment Variables

Create .env in project root. Never commit this file.

# Django
SECRET_KEY=your-super-secret-key-minimum-50-characters
DEBUG=True
ALLOWED_HOSTS=localhost,127.0.0.1

# Database (PostgreSQL)
DB_NAME=skillbridge_db
DB_USER=skillbridge_user
DB_PASSWORD=yourpassword123
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=5432

# Auth
LOGIN_URL=/login/
LOGIN_REDIRECT_URL=/dashboard/
LOGOUT_REDIRECT_URL=/login/

# Skill Exchange System
DEFAULT_BEGINNER_TOKENS=5
SKILL_CREDIT_EARN_RATE=10
SKILL_CREDIT_SPEND_RATE=10

# Verification System
COMMUNITY_VERIFICATION_THRESHOLD=3
EXAM_PASSING_SCORE=80
EXAM_RETAKE_COOLDOWN_DAYS=30

# Email (optional for notifications)
EMAIL_BACKEND=django.core.mail.backends.console.EmailBackend

Database Setup

Create PostgreSQL database and user

# Connect to PostgreSQL
psql -U postgres

# Inside psql shell
CREATE DATABASE skillbridge_db;
CREATE USER skillbridge_user WITH PASSWORD 'yourpassword123';
ALTER ROLE skillbridge_user SET client_encoding TO 'utf8';
ALTER ROLE skillbridge_user SET default_transaction_isolation TO 'read committed';
ALTER ROLE skillbridge_user SET timezone TO 'UTC';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE skillbridge_db TO skillbridge_user;
\q

Run migrations

python manage.py makemigrations users skills exchanges recommendations verification portfolio notifications
python manage.py migrate

Running the Server

# Development
python manage.py runserver

# Custom port
python manage.py runserver 8080

# Accessible on local network
python manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000

Project Structure

skillbridge-backend/
│
├── manage.py
├── requirements.txt
├── .env
├── .env.example
├── .gitignore
│
├── skillbridge/                 # Project config
│   ├── settings.py
│   ├── urls.py
│   └── wsgi.py
│
├── static/                      # Global static files
│   ├── admin/css/               # Admin CSS overrides
│   └── verification/            # Verification app static
│
├── templates/                   # Global templates
│   ├── base.html
│   ├── admin/                   # Admin templates
│   └── ...                      # App-specific templates
│
└── apps/
    ├── users/                   # User profiles, auth, dashboard
    ├── skills/                  # Skill catalog, teachable/learnable skills
    ├── exchanges/               # Proposals, sessions, credit transactions
    ├── recommendations/         # Keyword-based partner matching
    ├── verification/            # Skill verification, exams, certificates
    ├── portfolio/               # Projects and certifications
    ├── notifications/           # In-app notifications
    ├── admin_custom/            # Custom admin views (analytics, bulk verify)
    └── careers/                 # Career-related pages

Database Models

UserProfile (extends AbstractUser)

Field	Type	Description
`username`	CharField	Unique handle
`email`	EmailField	Unique email
`phone`	CharField	Optional
`profile_picture`	ImageField	Avatar
`bio`	TextField	Short introduction
`experience_level`	CharField	`beginner` / `intermediate` / `advanced`
`skill_credits`	IntegerField	Earned by teaching (default: 0)
`beginner_tokens`	IntegerField	Free tokens for new users (default: 5)
`reputation_score`	FloatField	Average rating from completed exchanges
`total_hours_taught`	IntegerField	Lifetime teaching hours
`total_hours_learned`	IntegerField	Lifetime learning hours

Skill

Field	Type	Description
`name`	CharField	e.g., "Python", "UI Design"
`category`	CharField	e.g., "Programming", "Design", "Language"
`popularity_score`	FloatField	Based on exchange frequency

TeachableSkill

Field	Type	Description
`user`	ForeignKey	→ UserProfile
`skill`	ForeignKey	→ Skill
`proficiency_level`	CharField	`beginner` / `intermediate` / `expert`
`hourly_commitment`	IntegerField	Hours per week available
`is_active`	BooleanField	Currently offering?

LearnableSkill

Field	Type	Description
`user`	ForeignKey	→ UserProfile
`skill`	ForeignKey	→ Skill
`motivation`	TextField	Why they want to learn
`urgency`	CharField	`low` / `medium` / `high`

ExchangeProposal

Field	Type	Description
`proposer`	ForeignKey	User making the offer
`receiver`	ForeignKey	User receiving the offer
`offer_skill`	ForeignKey	→ TeachableSkill
`request_skill`	ForeignKey	→ LearnableSkill
`proposed_hours`	IntegerField	Total hours for exchange
`status`	CharField	`pending` / `accepted` / `rejected` / `completed` / `cancelled`
`message`	TextField	Optional note

ExchangeSession

Field	Type	Description
`proposal`	ForeignKey	→ ExchangeProposal
`scheduled_date`	DateTimeField	When session occurs
`duration_hours`	IntegerField	Length of session
`meeting_link`	URLField	Google Meet / Zoom link
`completed`	BooleanField	Session finished?
`teacher_rating`	IntegerField	1-5 (rated by learner)
`learner_rating`	IntegerField	1-5 (rated by teacher)
`teacher_feedback`	TextField	Optional feedback
`learner_feedback`	TextField	Optional feedback

SkillCreditTransaction

Field	Type	Description
`user`	ForeignKey	→ UserProfile
`amount`	IntegerField	Positive = earned, Negative = spent
`transaction_type`	CharField	`teach_earn` / `learn_spend` / `signup_bonus` / `referral_bonus` / `feedback_reward` / `verification_reward`
`description`	TextField	Transaction details
`related_session`	ForeignKey	→ ExchangeSession (nullable)

SkillVerification (3 Levels)

Level	Badge	Meaning	Requirement
1	Self-declared	User claims the skill	Automatic when adding teachable skill
2	Community rated	Peer-validated	≥3 session ratings with average ≥4.0
3	Platform tested	Exam verified	Pass on-site exam (≥80%) + admin approval

Certificate

Field	Type	Description
`user`	ForeignKey	→ UserProfile
`skill`	ForeignKey	→ Skill
`certificate_file`	FileField	Uploaded PDF/image
`issuing_organization`	CharField	e.g., "Coursera", "SkillBridge Nepal"
`issue_date`	DateField	Date of certification
`status`	CharField	`pending` / `approved` / `rejected`
`verified_by`	ForeignKey	→ UserProfile (admin)
`verified_at`	DateTimeField	When approved/rejected

SkillExam

Field	Type	Description
`skill`	ForeignKey	→ Skill
`difficulty`	CharField	`beginner` / `intermediate` / `advanced`
`title`	CharField	Exam title
`time_limit_minutes`	IntegerField	Default 30
`passing_score`	IntegerField	Default 70
`is_active`	BooleanField	Default True
`created_at`	DateTimeField	Auto-set

Question

Field	Type	Description
`exam`	ForeignKey	→ SkillExam
`text`	TextField	Question text
`question_type`	CharField	`objective` / `subjective`
`options`	JSONField	List of options for objective questions
`correct_index`	IntegerField	0-based index of correct answer
`model_answer`	TextField	Expected answer for subjective questions
`weight`	IntegerField	Marks for this question
`explanation`	TextField	Explanation shown after answering
`order`	IntegerField	Display order

ExamAttempt

Field	Type	Description
`user`	ForeignKey	→ UserProfile
`exam`	ForeignKey	→ SkillExam
`score`	FloatField	Percentage score
`passed`	BooleanField	Met passing score?
`answers`	JSONField	Submitted answers
`started_at`	DateTimeField	Auto-set
`completed_at`	DateTimeField	null
`can_retake_after`	DateTimeField	30-day cooldown if failed

Frontend Pages

All pages are server-rendered Django templates with Tailwind CSS (CDN) and minimal Alpine.js.

URL	View	Template	Description
`/`	`HomeView`	`core/index.html`	Landing page
`/login/`	`LoginView`	`core/login.html`	Session-based login
`/register/`	`RegisterView`	`core/register.html`	User registration
`/logout/`	`LogoutView`	redirects	Clears session
`/dashboard/`	`DashboardView`	`core/dashboard.html`	User dashboard
`/profile/`	`ProfileView`	`core/profile.html`	Edit profile
`/skills/teachable/`	`TeachableSkillsView`	`skills/teachable_skills.html`	Add/manage teachable skills
`/skills/learnable/`	`LearnableSkillsView`	`skills/learnable_skills.html`	Add/manage learnable skills
`/skills/catalog/`	`SkillListView`	`skills/skill_list.html`	Browse all skills
`/exchange/`	`ExchangePartnersView`	`core/partners.html`	Find exchange partners
`/proposals/`	`ProposalsView`	`core/proposals.html`	Sent/received proposals
`/sessions/`	`SessionListView`	`exchanges/session_list.html`	Upcoming sessions
`/verification/status/`	`VerificationStatusView`	`verification/verification_status.html`	Verification levels
`/verification/exam/<skill_id>/start/`	`StartExamView`	`verification/exam_start.html`	Take exam
`/verification/exam/submit/`	`ExamSubmitView`	`verification/exam_submit.html`	Exam result
`/verification/certificates/`	`CertificateListView`	`verification/certificate_list.html`	Approved certificates
`/portfolio/`	`PortfolioView`	`portfolio/portfolio.html`	Projects + verified skills
`/careers/`	`CareerView`	`careers/career_list.html`	Career listings
`/notifications/`	`NotificationListView`	`notifications/notification_list.html`	In-app notifications

API Endpoints

All API endpoints return JSON and are used for AJAX/Alpine.js interactions.

Verification API

Method	Endpoint	Auth	Description
GET	`/api/verification/status/`	Yes	Current user's verification matrix
GET	`/api/verification/exams/`	Yes	List active exams (optional `?skill_id=`)
GET	`/api/verification/exams/<exam_id>/`	Yes	Single exam detail with questions
POST	`/api/verification/exams/<exam_id>/submit/`	Yes	Submit answers, auto-grade, record attempt
POST	`/api/verification/community/verify/<user_id>/<skill_id>/`	Yes	Cast community vote

Recommendation API (Keyword Matching)

Method	Endpoint	Auth	Description
GET	`/api/match/partners/`	Yes	Fetch skill-matched partners (simple keyword matching)

Notifications API

Method	Endpoint	Auth	Description
GET	`/api/notifications/unread/`	Yes	Get pending notifications

Skill Matching Engine

Located in apps/recommendations/engine.py

Approach

No AI/ML is used. Matching is based on simple keyword/string matching (case-insensitive) between users' teachable and learnable skills.

Algorithm

Build an index of all users' teachable and learnable skills
For the current user, find other users whose teachable skills match the current user's learnable skills (and vice versa)
Score matches by number of overlapping skill keywords
Return top-N partners with similarity scores and skill match details

Caching

Partner matches are cached for 1 hour
Manual refresh available via browser reload

Skill Exchange System

Credit Economy

Action	Credit Change
Sign up	+5 beginner tokens
Teach 1 hour	+10 skill credits
Learn 1 hour	-10 skill credits (or 1 beginner token)
Refer a friend	+5 credits
Leave quality feedback	+1 credit
Report a bug	+2 credits

Transaction Log

Every credit change is recorded in SkillCreditTransaction with:

amount (positive = earned, negative = spent)
transaction_type (teach_earn, learn_spend, signup_bonus, referral_bonus, feedback_reward, verification_reward)
description
created_at

Exchange Flow

1. User adds Teachable Skills + Learnable Skills
2. Keyword matching finds complementary partners
3. User A sends ExchangeProposal to User B
4. User B accepts/rejects/ignores
5. Both users schedule ExchangeSessions
6. After each session, both rate each other (1-5)
7. When all sessions completed, credits auto-transfer

Proposal Lifecycle

Status	Meaning
`pending`	Awaiting response
`accepted`	Both users agreed
`rejected`	Receiver declined
`completed`	All sessions done, credits transferred
`cancelled`	Proposal cancelled by either party

Skill Verification System

3-Level Verification

Level	Name	How to Achieve
1	Self-declared	Automatic when user adds a teachable skill
2	Community rated	Skill receives ≥3 session ratings with average ≥4.0 from unique learners
3	Platform tested	User passes admin-created on-site exam (≥80%)

On-Site Exams

Admin creates exams via Django admin with Question inlines
Questions can be objective (multiple choice) or subjective (text answer)
Each question has a weight (marks) and optional explanation
Exams are auto-graded on submit:
- Objective: compare selected option index to correct_index
- Score = (earned_marks / total_weight) × 100
Passing: score ≥ passing_score (default 70%)
Failed attempts: 30-day retake cooldown (can_retake_after)
Admin reviews attempts in ExamAttemptAdmin and can set passed=True

Certificate Auto-Generation

When an ExamAttempt is marked passed=True, a Certificate record is automatically created with:

issuing_organization = 'SkillBridge Nepal'
status = 'approved'
issue_date = today
Appears on user's portfolio under "Verified Skills"

Authentication

Session-based authentication using Django's built-in LoginView / LogoutView.

No JWT for page views
No DRF for standard pages
API endpoints use @login_required with session cookies
Password reset via console email backend (MVP)

Admin Panel

Django admin at http://localhost:8000/admin/

Custom Admin Features

SkillExam Admin — create/edit exams with inline Question editor (objective + subjective, weighted scoring)
Certificate Admin — approve/reject certificates with bulk actions
ExamAttempt Admin — review exam results, mark passed/failed
Analytics Dashboard — /admin/analytics/ with platform stats
Bulk Verify — /admin/bulk-verify/ for CSV-based certificate approval
Custom CSS — scoped admin redesign under body.django-admin-override

Admin URL Structure

URL	View	Description
`/admin/`	Django admin	Standard model management
`/admin/analytics/`	`analytics_dashboard`	Platform analytics
`/admin/bulk-verify/`	`bulk_verify_view`	Bulk certificate verification

Testing

# Run all tests
python manage.py test

# Test specific app
python manage.py test apps.exchanges
python manage.py test apps.verification
python manage.py test apps.skills

# With coverage
pip install coverage
coverage run manage.py test
coverage report
coverage html

Deployment

Deploy to Render (Free Tier)

1. Push code to GitHub

2. Create Web Service on Render:

Setting	Value
Environment	Python
Build Command	`pip install -r requirements.txt && python manage.py collectstatic --noinput && python manage.py migrate`
Start Command	`gunicorn skillbridge.wsgi:application`

3. Add environment variables in Render dashboard

4. Add PostgreSQL add-on (free tier)

5. App live at: https://your-app.onrender.com/

Production Checklist

DEBUG=False
Strong SECRET_KEY
ALLOWED_HOSTS set to production domain
PostgreSQL add-on attached
Email service configured (optional)
Media files configured (S3 or similar for production)

Common Issues & Fixes

PostgreSQL connection error

# Check if running
brew services list | grep postgresql  # macOS
sudo systemctl status postgresql      # Linux

# Start if stopped
brew services start postgresql@14
sudo systemctl start postgresql

psycopg2 fails to install

# macOS
brew install postgresql
pip install psycopg2-binary

# Ubuntu
sudo apt install libpq-dev python3-dev
pip install psycopg2-binary

Migration conflicts

# Development only — reset all migrations
find . -path "*/migrations/*.py" -not -name "__init__.py" -delete
python manage.py makemigrations
python manage.py migrate

Static files not loading

python manage.py collectstatic --noinput

Quick Reference

# Full reset (development only)
source venv/bin/activate
find . -path "*/migrations/*.py" -not -name "__init__.py" -delete
python manage.py makemigrations
python manage.py migrate
python manage.py createsuperuser
python manage.py runserver

# Common commands
python manage.py makemigrations
python manage.py migrate
python manage.py createsuperuser
python manage.py runserver
python manage.py test
python manage.py shell
python manage.py collectstatic

SkillBridge — Peer-to-Peer Skill Exchange Platform

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
.vscode		.vscode
apps		apps
public/fonts		public/fonts
skillbridge		skillbridge
static/images		static/images
templates		templates
.env.example		.env.example
.gitignore		.gitignore
README.md		README.md
SkillBrdigePRD.md		SkillBrdigePRD.md
manage.py		manage.py
requirements.txt		requirements.txt

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