Motobai — Internal Operations App

Motobai is a small, independent business focused on selling motor parts — with a strong emphasis on oils and lubricants that keep engines running at peak performance. Our goal is to provide dependable, accessible automotive supplies for local workshops and internal operations.

This internal-use application is built to support and streamline Motobai's day-to-day workflows. Designed for use by our employees, it offers an efficient and user-friendly interface for managing inventory, tracking orders, and monitoring product data.

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👨‍💻 Team

Name	Role
Jose Emmanuel Idpan	Backend Developer (Django)
Ram Christian Nacar	Frontend Developer (React)
Thaddeus Domingo	Quality Assurance & Project Management

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⚙️ Tech Features

• Built with React (frontend) and Django (backend)
• RESTful API integration for smooth data flow
• JWT Authentication and user role support
• Real-time inventory management
• Order tracking and status updates
• Modular design for future scalability

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📋 Prerequisites

Install these before proceeding:

1. Node.js
2. VS Code
3. Python 3.8+
4. MySQL — install both MySQL Server and MySQL Workbench, set the root password to root

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🚀 Installation

1. Clone the repository

git clone <this link>

2. Set up the frontend

cd frontend
npm install

3. Create the frontend .env file

Create a file named .env inside the frontend/ folder with the following content:

VITE_API_URL="http://127.0.0.1:8000"

⚠️ Use 127.0.0.1 and not localhost — the browser treats them as different origins and CORS will block requests if you use localhost.

4. Set up the backend

cd backend
pip install PyMySQL
pip install -r requirements.txt

5. Configure PyMySQL

Open backend/backend/__init__.py (create it if it doesn't exist) and add:

import pymysql
pymysql.install_as_MySQLdb()

6. Set up the database

Open MySQL Workbench, connect to your local server, and create a database named motobai:

CREATE DATABASE motobai;

7. Run Django migrations

cd backend
python manage.py makemigrations
python manage.py migrate

8. (Optional) Load default data

If a SQL dump file is provided (e.g. motobai_dump.sql), import it via MySQL Workbench after running migrations in step 7. Migrations must run first to create the tables.

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▶️ Running the App

Terminal 1 — Frontend:

cd frontend
npm run dev

Terminal 2 — Backend:

cd backend
python manage.py runserver

Then open your browser and go to: http://localhost:5173

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🔧 Troubleshooting

python command not found

Add Python to your system PATH: https://datatofish.com/add-python-to-windows-path/

pip not working

Reinstall or repair pip: https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/installation/

mysqlclient fails to install

This is a known Windows build issue. Use PyMySQL instead (already covered in step 4–5 above). Do not try to install mysqlclient directly on Windows without MySQL C headers.

Login returns CORS error

Make sure your .env uses http://127.0.0.1:8000 and not http://localhost:8000. Restart the frontend after changing .env.

Login returns 500 / datetime error

Open backend/backend/settings.py and set:

USE_TZ = False

Then restart the Django server.

Wrong database password

Open backend/backend/settings.py and update the password to match what you set during MySQL installation:

DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        ...
        'PASSWORD': 'your_password_here',
        ...
    }
}

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At Motobai, we believe that a well-oiled system is just as important as a well-oiled machine.