Business Directory Clone (MERN)

A simple business directory and yellow pages clone. Users can find local services by category or location, and business owners can submit listings for review.

I built this to practice handling multi-level categories (Category -> SubCategory) and setting up a basic admin moderation flow in a MERN environment.

Key Features

• Search & Discovery: Filter businesses by keyword, location, and specific industry categories.
• Listing Workflow: Owners can submit business details; listings remain "pending" until an admin approves them.
• Admin Panel: Protected dashboard to moderate listings and toggle "Featured" status for businesses.
• Auth: Basic JWT authentication for users and role-based protection for the admin area.

Tech Stack

• Frontend: React, Tailwind CSS, Lucide Icons.
• Backend: Node.js, Express, MongoDB.
• Libraries: Axios for API calls, Mongoose for modeling, and Bcrypt for security.

Setup & Running

1. Database Configuration

Rename or create a .env file in the /server directory:

PORT=5000
MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_atlas_uri
JWT_SECRET=secret_key
NODE_ENV=development

2. Installation

# Install backend dependencies
cd server
npm install

# Install frontend dependencies
cd ../client
npm install

3. Data Seeding

To see the app in action with realistic data, run these in the /server directory:

1. node utils/seed.js - Sets up the admin and main categories.
2. node seed/seedSubCategories.js - Adds industry-specific subcategories.
3. node seed/seedCategoryBusinesses.js - Populates the site with sample listings.

4. Start Development

• Backend: node server.js (inside /server)
• Frontend: npm run dev (inside /client)

Credentials

• Admin: admin@example.com / password123
• Listing Owner: Register via the signup page.