CivicPulse 📰🤖

AI-Powered Real-Time News, Chat, and Analytics Platform

CivicPulse is a comprehensive web application that delivers AI-enhanced news summaries, contextual chatbot interactions, and real-time user analytics. Built with Google's Gemini 1.5 Flash API and Firebase Realtime Database, it provides an interactive experience for users who want to stay updated with the latest technology and startup news while tracking their activity metrics.

✨ Features

• 🤖 AI-Enhanced News Summaries: Get intelligent summaries of the latest tech and startup news
• 💬 Contextual Chatbot: Interactive AI chat powered by Google Gemini 1.5 Flash
• 📊 Real-Time Analytics: Track user activity and engagement metrics
• 🌤️ Weather Integration: Enriched conversations with live weather data
• 📈 Stock Market Data: Real-time stock price updates and market information
• 🔥 Firebase Integration: Seamless authentication and real-time data synchronization

🛠️ Tech Stack

• Frontend: React v19 with Vite
• Package Manager: Bun
• AI/ML: Google Gemini 1.5 Flash API
• Database: Firebase Realtime Database
• Authentication: Firebase Auth
• News API: GNews API
• Weather API: OpenWeatherMap
• Stock API: TwelveData

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18 or higher)
• Bun (latest version)
• Firebase account
• API keys for all required services

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/sarthakpatil/civicpulse.git
   cd civicpulse

2. Install dependencies

   bun install

3. Set up environment variables

   Create a .env file in the root directory and add the following variables:

   VITE_GEMINI_API_KEY=your_gemini_api_key_here
   VITE_GNEWS_API_KEY=your_gnews_api_key_here
   VITE_FIREBASE_API_KEY=your_firebase_api_key_here
   VITE_FIREBASE_AUTH_DOMAIN=yourapp.firebaseapp.com
   VITE_FIREBASE_DB_URL=https://yourapp-default-rtdb.firebaseio.com
   VITE_FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID=your-firebase-project-id
   VITE_FIREBASE_STORAGE_BUCKET=yourapp.appspot.com
   VITE_FIREBASE_MESSAGING_SENDER_ID=your-messaging-sender-id
   VITE_FIREBASE_APP_ID=your-firebase-app-id
   VITE_FIREBASE_MEASUREMENT_ID=your-measurement-id
   VITE_OPENWEATHER_API_KEY=your_openweather_api_key_here
   VITE_TWELVEDATA_API_KEY=your_twelvedata_api_key_here

4. Start the development server

   bun run dev

🔑 API Keys Setup

Required API Keys

Service	Purpose	Get API Key
Google Gemini 1.5 Flash	AI blog generation and chat responses	Google Cloud Console
GNews	Real-time technology and startup news	GNews API
Firebase	Authentication, database, and analytics	Firebase Console
OpenWeatherMap	Live weather data for chat context	OpenWeatherMap
TwelveData	Real-time stock market data	TwelveData

Environment Variables Reference

Variable	Description	Required
VITE_GEMINI_API_KEY	Powers AI features and chat responses	✅
VITE_GNEWS_API_KEY	Fetches technology and startup news	✅
VITE_FIREBASE_API_KEY	Firebase project authentication	✅
VITE_FIREBASE_AUTH_DOMAIN	Firebase authentication domain	✅
VITE_FIREBASE_DB_URL	Firebase Realtime Database URL	✅
VITE_FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID	Unique Firebase project identifier	✅
VITE_FIREBASE_STORAGE_BUCKET	Firebase storage bucket	⚠️
VITE_FIREBASE_MESSAGING_SENDER_ID	Firebase Cloud Messaging ID	⚠️
VITE_FIREBASE_APP_ID	Firebase app initialization ID	✅
VITE_FIREBASE_MEASUREMENT_ID	Firebase Analytics measurement ID	⚠️
VITE_OPENWEATHER_API_KEY	Weather data integration	✅
VITE_TWELVEDATA_API_KEY	Stock market data integration	✅

Note: ✅ = Required, ⚠️ = Optional but recommended

🏗️ Project Structure

civicpulse/
├── src/
│   ├── components/        # React components
│   ├── services/          # API services and utilities
│   ├── hooks/             # Custom React hooks
│   ├── utils/             # Helper functions
│   └── styles/            # CSS and styling files
├── public/                # Static assets
├── .env                   # Environment variables
├── vite.config.js         # Vite configuration
└── package.json           # Dependencies and scripts

📝 Available Scripts

• bun run dev - Start development server
• bun run build - Build for production
• bun run preview - Preview production build
• bun run lint - Run ESLint
• bun test - Run tests

🚢 Deployment

Firebase Hosting

1. Build the project

   bun run build

2. Deploy to Firebase

   firebase deploy

Vercel

1. Connect your repository to Vercel
2. Set environment variables in Vercel dashboard
3. Deploy automatically on push

🔒 Security

• Environment Variables: Never commit your .env file or API keys to public repositories
• API Key Management: Use environment variables with the VITE_ prefix for client-side access
• Firebase Security: Configure Firebase security rules for database access
• Rate Limiting: Implement rate limiting for API calls to prevent abuse

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Google Gemini AI for powering intelligent conversations
• Firebase for seamless backend services
• GNews API for real-time news data
• OpenWeatherMap for weather integration
• TwelveData for stock market data

📞 Support

If you encounter any issues or have questions, please:

1. Check the Issues page
2. Create a new issue if your problem isn't already reported
3. Provide detailed information about your environment and the issue
4. Contact the maintainer: sarthakpaitl.ug@gmail.com

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👨‍💻 Author

Sarthak Tulsidas Patil

• Email: sarthakpaitl.ug@gmail.com
• Founder of Falcons Tech Community, NMIET
• GitHub: @sarthakpatil

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build for Google Developer Club Application