CampusConnect - College Dating App with Real-Time Matching & Chat (Flutter + Django)

CampusConnect is a full-stack dating application built specifically for college students, replicating the swipe-to-match experience of apps like Tinder while adding campus-specific discovery filters. The app solves a real gap in student social life: most mainstream dating apps don't let users filter matches by college, making it hard to connect with people who share the same campus environment. Built with Flutter on the frontend and Django REST Framework on the backend, this project gives students a working, deployable dating platform rather than a UI mockup.

Key Features

• Swipe-based card stack interface using Flutter Card Swiper with smooth gesture animations
• Automatic mutual-match detection that triggers only when both users swipe right
• College-based discovery filtering alongside age range and gender preferences
• JWT authentication with refresh token rotation using the Simple JWT package
• Real-time one-to-one chat between matched users with date-grouped message threads
• Multi-photo profile uploads (1 primary + 3 gallery images) with Django media handling
• Encrypted local token storage via Flutter Secure Storage to protect login sessions
• Cached network image loading to reduce data usage and speed up profile browsing

How It Works

Users sign up, verify their age (18+ enforced at registration), and build a profile with photos, bio, and college details. The discovery engine then queries the Django backend for potential matches based on the user's saved preferences, returning profiles the Flutter app renders as a swipeable card stack. When two users swipe right on each other, the backend creates a match record and unlocks a real-time chat thread between them. Provider handles state management on the Flutter side, keeping the swipe queue, match list, and chat state in sync without unnecessary rebuilds.

Tech Stack

• Flutter & Dart - chosen for single-codebase cross-platform builds (Android + iOS) without maintaining two native apps
• Django REST Framework - handles the API layer with built-in serialization and validation, cutting backend boilerplate
• Simple JWT - provides stateless, scalable authentication that doesn't require server-side session storage
• Provider - a lightweight state management solution that avoids the overhead of Bloc or Riverpod for an app this size
• SQLite - keeps local development and testing simple without needing a separate database server
• Cached Network Image - reduces repeated network calls for profile photos during heavy swiping sessions
• HTTP Package - manages REST calls between Flutter and Django with structured error handling

Who Is This For?

Computer science and IT students looking for a final year project that demonstrates full-stack mobile development, from authentication to real-time features. It also suits developers who want a practical reference for Flutter-Django integration, and anyone building a portfolio piece that goes beyond a to-do list app.

What's Included

• Complete Flutter frontend source code with commented, modular architecture
• Complete Django REST Framework backend with API documentation
• Step-by-step setup guide for local installation and configuration
• Database schema and model structure for matches, profiles, and messages