Secret Santa Matcher

Overview

Problem: Manually assigning Secret Santa matches is time-consuming, error-prone, and risks breaking anonymity in larger groups.

Solution: Secret Santa Matcher is a full-stack web application that allows users to create groups for Secret Santa events and automatically assigns anonymous matches, removing manual coordination entirely.

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Features

• User authentication (Sign Up / Log In)
• User profiles and group creation
• Anonymous Secret Santa assignment logic
• Event dashboard for managing exchanges
• Secure backend with PostgreSQL persistence

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Tech Stack

Frontend

• React
• React Router (v6)
• TypeScript
• Webpack

Backend

• Node.js
• Express
• PostgreSQL

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Implementation Details

• Built dynamic routing and navigation using react-router-dom
• Managed component state and lifecycle with useState and useEffect
• Implemented programmatic navigation with useNavigate
• Designed relational schemas in PostgreSQL to ensure data integrity
• Structured frontend and backend as separate services for scalability

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js
• npm
• PostgreSQL

Installation

git clone https://github.com/Tpolite4/secret-santa-matcher
cd secret-santa-matcher
npm install