yOdin

Social mobile app where people discuss topics across nationalities and locations. Built with Expo SDK 54 · Firebase · React Native · TypeScript

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Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:

• Node.js 18+ — nodejs.org
• npm 9+ (comes with Node.js)
• Expo Go on your phone — iOS App Store · Google Play
• A Firebase project (free Spark plan is enough)

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Step 1 — Clone and install

git clone <repo-url>
cd yodin
npm install

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Step 2 — Firebase setup

2.1 Create a project

1. Go to console.firebase.google.com → Add project
2. Enter a project name → Continue → Create project

2.2 Enable Authentication

Build → Authentication → Get started → Sign-in method Enable Email/Password → Save

2.3 Enable Firestore

Build → Firestore Database → Create database Choose Start in production mode → pick any region → Done

2.4 Enable Storage

Build → Storage → Get started → Next → Done

2.5 Get your app config

Project Settings (gear icon) → General → Your apps → Add app → Web (</>)

Register the app, then copy the config object that appears:

const firebaseConfig = {
  apiKey: "...",
  authDomain: "...",
  projectId: "...",
  storageBucket: "...",
  messagingSenderId: "...",
  appId: "..."
};

2.6 Set up environment variables

cp .env.example .env

Open .env and paste in the values from the config above:

EXPO_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_API_KEY=your_api_key
EXPO_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_AUTH_DOMAIN=your_project.firebaseapp.com
EXPO_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID=your_project_id
EXPO_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_STORAGE_BUCKET=your_project.appspot.com
EXPO_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_MESSAGING_SENDER_ID=your_sender_id
EXPO_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_APP_ID=your_app_id

2.7 Deploy Firestore rules and indexes

Install the Firebase CLI:

npm install -g firebase-tools
firebase login

Connect the CLI to your project:

firebase use --add

Select your project from the list, give it an alias (e.g. default), then deploy:

firebase deploy --only firestore,storage

This deploys:

• firestore.rules — security rules for the database
• firestore.indexes.json — composite indexes required for queries
• storage.rules — rules for avatar photo uploads

Note: Firestore index building takes 2–5 minutes. The feed will appear empty until they are ready.

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Step 3 — Run the app

npx expo start

A QR code will appear in the terminal.

• Android — open the Expo Go app → tap Scan QR Code
• iPhone — scan the QR code with the default Camera app (it opens Expo Go automatically)

Your phone and computer must be on the same Wi-Fi network.

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Troubleshooting

Symptom	Fix
Black screen on launch	Check that all .env values are correct, then press r in the Metro terminal to reload
Empty feed after login	Firestore indexes are still building — wait a few minutes and pull to refresh
Network request failed	Phone and computer must be on the same Wi-Fi network
Auth errors on register / login	Confirm Email/Password is enabled in Firebase Authentication
Photo upload fails	Check that Storage is enabled and storage.rules was deployed

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Firt Version 1.0