AttachLink 🔗
The Digital Bridge for Seamless Internship Management
AttachLink is a digital solution developed to modernize the industrial attachment monitoring process at KCA University. By replacing manual paper logbooks with an authenticated, real-time mobile and web platform, it creates a transparent, automated reporting workflow between Students, Supervisors, and Employers.
🚀 Core Features
🎓 For Students
Digital Logbook: Submit daily/weekly activities with photo/document evidence.
Progress Analytics: Visualize approval stages using interactive MPAndroidChart pie charts.
Automated Reports: Export official attachment reports as PDF documents directly from the app.
Offline Capability: Logs can be drafted during internet downtime to ensure no data is lost.
Live Updates: Receive instant Firebase (FCM) notifications when logs are reviewed.
🔍 For Supervisors & Employers
Supervisor Review Portal: A dedicated workflow for faculty supervisors to approve or reject logs with structured feedback.
Employer Evaluations: On-site managers can monitor daily progress and provide 5-star performance ratings.
Institutional Dashboard: Centralized access for coordinators to monitor progress and generate institutional reports.
Authenticated Submissions: Ensures all entries are verified, timestamped, and tamper-proof.
🛠 Technical Stack
Layer
Technology
Mobile Frontend
Android (Java), Retrofit 2, MPAndroidChart
Real-time Services
Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM)
Backend API
Spring Boot (Java), JPA/Hibernate
Security
JWT (JSON Web Tokens), HTTPS
Database
MySQL / PostgreSQL
DevOps
Docker, Docker Compose
📦 Setup & Installation
- Mobile App Setup (Android Studio / VS Code)
Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/your-username/attachlink-android.git
Add your google-services.json to the app/ folder.
Update the BASE_URL in RetrofitClient.java to point to your hosted backend URL.
- Backend Setup (Traditional)
Ensure you have Java 17 and MySQL installed.
Configure your database credentials in src/main/resources/application.properties.
Build and run:
./mvnw clean spring-boot:run
- Docker Deployment (Recommended for Cloud)
To deploy the backend and database seamlessly using Docker:
Build the Image:
docker build -t attachlink-backend .
Run with Docker Compose: Create a docker-compose.yml in your root directory and run:
docker-compose up -d
This will spin up both the Spring Boot API and a managed database instance automatically.
🛡️ Risk Management & Integrity
Data Integrity: Regular backups are maintained via GitHub to prevent code and configuration loss.
Connectivity: The system is designed with offline work capability to allow students to log activities without a constant internet connection.
Security: JWT implementation ensures that only authorized users can modify logbook entries.
📄 License
Copyright © 2026 Nicholas Kariuki Wambui
Institution: KCA University
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0. See http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0 for details.