TradeSkill

Signup/Signin Page
Chat Page
Match Page
Workspace/video call Page
Landing Page
Profile Page
Home Page
Users Table
VideoSession Table
Messages Table
IndexHeads Table
DynamoDB tables
Ratings Table

The Problem

While thinking about how people learn, I noticed something strange. We have more free content than ever before yet most people still struggle to actually learn new skills.

The problem isn't access to content. It's the lack of a real human on the other side. Someone who guides you, answers your questions, and keeps you accountable.

Then I noticed something else. Almost everyone knows something that someone else desperately wants to learn.

That gap is exactly what TradeSkill was built to close.

What it Does

TradeSkill is a peer-to-peer skill exchange platform where people teach one skill in return for learning another. No money. No subscriptions. Skills become the currency.

If A knows drawing and wants to learn coding, and B knows coding and wants to learn drawing — TradeSkill matches them automatically. Both teach. Both learn. Neither pays a rupee.

Why It's Better Than Existing Platforms

vs Paid Platforms (Udemy, Coursera):

❌ Cost hundreds or thousands of rupees
❌ Pre-recorded, no real interaction
✅ TradeSkill: Completely free forever
✅ Live interactive 1-on-1 sessions

vs Free Platforms (YouTube):

❌ No personalization or feedback
❌ Cannot ask questions in real time
✅ TradeSkill: Personalized live sessions
✅ Real time feedback from your teacher

Every other platform makes you a student only. TradeSkill makes you both a student AND a teacher. Your knowledge has real value — trade it.

How I Built It

Frontend: React deployed on Vercel

Database: AWS DynamoDB with 6 tables:

Users — profiles and skill data
Messages — real time chat
InboxHeads — conversation previews
VideoSessions — live session tracking
Ratings — peer performance ratings
Matches — compatibility records

Video: Jitsi Meet API for live sessions

The matching algorithm compares skills users can teach against what others want to learn and generates compatibility scores.

Challenges

DynamoDB data modeling was harder than expected. This isn't a simple CRUD app. I needed separate structures for profiles, conversations, inbox previews, session states, and ratings while keeping reads and writes efficient.

Designing the dual-role video session where users switch between teaching and learning within the same call required rethinking how session state is tracked in real time.

What I Learned

This project gave me hands-on experience with DynamoDB data modeling, integrating third-party video services, and designing systems around human behaviour rather than simple data operations.

The biggest lesson was about product thinking — designing an experience people would actually want to use is much harder than building features.

What's Next

AI-assisted skill matching
Skill verification through assessments
Group learning sessions
Mobile application support
Calendar integration for scheduling

TradeSkill existed as a React frontend with local storage before the hackathon. During the submission period I made these significant updates:

Integrated AWS DynamoDB as primary database replacing all local storage
Built 6 DynamoDB tables: Users, Messages, InboxHeads, VideoSessions, Ratings, Matches
Implemented real time chat using DynamoDB
Added user authentication with password hashing
Built rating and reputation system with DynamoDB
Deployed frontend on Vercel
Added landing page and complete UI redesign
Fixed multi-user session handling
Integrated Jitsi video call system
Added skill matching algorithm with compatibility scoring

The core idea existed but the entire backend, database architecture, and production deployment were built during the hackathon period. The vision: a world where anyone can learn anything by sharing what they already know. Knowledge should be free. On TradeSkill, it is.