Project Overview

This project is a practical digital solution developed to streamline the meal management process in university residence halls. It replaces traditional manual record-keeping with a simple, transparent, and cashless web platform. The system enables efficient coordination between students, kitchen staff, and hall administrators through role-based access and real-time data tracking.

The application focuses on usability, reliability, and lightweight deployment, making it suitable for institutional environments with limited technical infrastructure.

Key Features

Role-Based Dashboards

Separate dashboards are provided for Students, Kitchen Staff, and Administrators. Students manage their meal preferences and wallet balance, kitchen staff monitor daily meal counts, and administrators oversee user management and system operations.

Meal Scheduling & Attendance Tracking

Students can toggle meal status (ON/OFF) for upcoming days. The system maintains attendance records and generates real-time statistics to help kitchen staff estimate cooking quantities and reduce food waste.

Digital Wallet & Transactions

A simple wallet system allows administrators to recharge student balances. Meal costs and guest bookings are automatically deducted and recorded in transaction logs.

Guest Meal Booking

Students can request guest meals for specific dates, enabling better planning and cost management.

Menu & Notice Management

Daily menus and hall notices can be published by administrators or kitchen staff and viewed by all users.

Secure Authentication Workflow

User registration requires administrative approval before gaining system access, ensuring controlled onboarding and improved security.

Profile & Document Management

Students and staff can maintain personal profiles and upload required documents such as photos and ID cards.

System Architecture

The system follows a lightweight containerized deployment approach using Docker to simplify server configuration and scalability.

• The frontend is built using responsive HTML, Bootstrap, and JavaScript.

• Backend logic is implemented in PHP with modular API endpoints.

• Data is stored in a MySQL relational database.

• The application is deployed on a DigitalOcean Droplet and served through an Nginx reverse proxy alongside other containerized services.

• phpMyAdmin is used for secure database administration via SSH tunneling.

This architecture enables easy maintenance, quick deployment, and efficient resource usage in production environments.