Digital Lost & Found App
A web app to report lost/found items, browse listings, and manage claims through a simple admin flow. Built as a clean CRUD-style system with clear user navigation.
role
Full-stack (routes, views, storage, UI flow)
type
Course project (Node.js & Express)
core Features
Report lost/found, view items, admin mark claimed, search
tech Stack
JSON file-based storage (no database)
//Problem
- ►Lost items happen often, but people don’t have a simple way to post details, browse matching items, and track status in one place.
//Solution
- ►A structured web app that lets users submit lost/found reports, view a combined list, and allows an admin to update status when items are claimed.
//Key Features
- ►Home navigation with clear entry points
- ►Report Lost form (name, description, contact, location, date)
- ►Report Found form (parallel flow to lost)
- ►View Items page showing submitted listings
- ►Admin page to mark items as claimed
- ►Search by item name (client-side filtering)
//Technical Implementation
- ►Express routing for each flow (lost/found/items/admin)
- ►EJS templates for consistent UI pages
- ►JSON file storage using read/write operations
- ►Basic input validation and clean UX structure
//Outcome
- ►Working end-to-end submission flow
- ►Clear separation of lost vs found reporting
- ►Admin can update status to keep listings accurate
- ►Simple search helps users find relevant items faster
//What I Learned
- ►How to structure Express routes + EJS views cleanly
- ►How CRUD-like workflows translate into real UI flows
- ►How small UI decisions improve usability a lot
- ►How file-based JSON storage works as a lightweight “DB”
//Future Improvements
- ►Add image upload for items
- ►Add better matching (category + location-based suggestions)
- ►Add authentication for admin actions
- ►Move from JSON storage to a real database (MongoDB/MySQL)