University Bookstore
A web application for ordering university textbooks through a clean and accessible interface. Built as a self-hosted system to simplify the process of purchasing required textbooks while maintaining student privacy.
Industry
Education & Ecommerce
Stack
HTML
SASS
JavaScript
Node.js
Express.js
SQL
Many universities rely on third-party companies to provide and host their online bookstore systems. This creates privacy concerns, as those third parties gain access to all user data flowing through the platform. It also introduces external dependencies—when the provider goes down, so does the bookstore.
This project proposes an internally hosted university bookstore system, with no third-party reliance. By running on university servers, student privacy and system reliability are both preserved.
University account integration
Students can only register using their university-issued email, allowing the bookstore to link their account directly to their university profile. This enables features like showing relevant course textbooks and charging purchases directly to tuition.
Personalized browsing experience
Because the system is linked to student course enrollment, the storefront automatically shows only textbooks related to the student's current classes. This streamlines the shopping process and prevents mistakes like buying the wrong book.
Customizable search options
Students can search for textbooks by title, course name, or even partial course codes. Results can be filtered to show all available books, books for enrolled courses, or books for a specified course.
Textbook order processing
Students can choose between physical or digital copies of textbooks. Digital versions are delivered to the student's email within 30 minutes, while physical copies can be scheduled for on-campus pickup.
All purchases are added directly to the student's tuition, and orders can be viewed or canceled online. Designed during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the system remains fully contactless and remotely accessible.
Management interface
University staff have access to a management panel where they can view student orders, confirm or cancel purchases, and access order histories by user.
