Ulo

Ulo is a web application designed to connect renters with property listers and agents. It provides features for browsing property listings, user authentication, property management, agent verification, user profiles, reviews, and real-time chat between users.

Core Technologies

• Backend:
  • Python 3.10+
  • Quart (Async Web Framework, ASGI)
  • SQLAlchemy (Async ORM) with Alembic (Migrations)
  • Pydantic (Data Validation & Schemas)
  • Quart-Auth (Authentication)
  • Quart-Schema (Schema Integration & OpenAPI)
  • Redis (for WebSocket Pub/Sub)
  • SQLite (Default Development DB) / PostgreSQL (Production)
  • Hypercorn (ASGI Server)
• Frontend:
  • React (UI Library)
  • Vite (Build Tool & Dev Server)
  • React Router (Routing)
  • Axios (HTTP Client)
  • CSS (Styling)

Getting Started (Local Development)

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+ & pip
• Node.js 16+ & npm (or yarn)
• Redis Server (for chat functionality)

Backend Setup

1. Navigate to API directory:

   cd api

2. Create & Activate Python Virtual Environment:

   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # macOS/Linux
   # OR: venv\Scripts\activate.bat  # Windows CMD
   # OR: venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 # Windows PowerShell

3. Install Python Dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Configure Environment:
   • Review/edit the api/.env file. Ensure DEV_DATABASE_URL and REDIS_URL are set correctly for your local setup.
5. Database Migrations:
   • Navigate to the project root (cd .. if you are in api/).
   • Apply migrations:

     alembic upgrade head

6. Run Backend Server:
   • From the project root directory (Ulo/):

     hypercorn api.app:app --reload --bind 0.0.0.0:5000

   • The API should be running at http://localhost:5000.

Frontend Setup

1. Navigate to Frontend Directory (in a separate terminal):

   cd frontend

2. Install Node Dependencies:

   npm install
   # OR: yarn install

3. Run Frontend Dev Server:

   npm run dev
   # OR: yarn dev

   • The frontend should open automatically at http://localhost:3000.

Accessing the App

• Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser.