Developer Initial Setup

Welcome to FindU! This guide will help you set up your development environment for working with the FindU platform.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

Git (v2.30+)
Node.js (v18+ LTS recommended)
Python (3.9-3.11 for matching algorithm)
Xcode (for iOS development on macOS)
Railway CLI (optional, for deployment)
Claude Code (optional, for AI-assisted development)

Pro tip: If you’re on macOS, you can install most prerequisites using Homebrew:

brew install git node python@3.11
brew install --cask railway  # Optional for deployment
# Xcode from App Store

Database Access: You’ll manage the database through the Supabase web dashboard. No CLI tools required!

Getting Started

Since FindU uses multiple repositories, you’ll need to set up each component individually:

1. Create a workspace directory

mkdir ~/findu
cd ~/findu

2. Clone the repositories you need

# Core repositories
git clone https://github.com/findu-app/ios_app.git
git clone https://github.com/findu-app/web_app.git
git clone https://github.com/findu-app/matching-algorithm.git

# Data and documentation
git clone https://github.com/findu-app/data_scraping.git
git clone https://github.com/findu-app/docs.git

3. Switch to dev branches

cd ios_app && git checkout dev && cd ..
cd web_app && git checkout dev && cd ..
cd matching-algorithm && git checkout dev && cd ..
cd data_scraping && git checkout dev && cd ..

4. Set up each component

Follow the README in each repository for specific setup instructions.

Repository Structure

After cloning, your workspace will look like:

~/findu/
├── ios_app/           # iOS mobile app (Swift/SwiftUI)
├── web_app/           # Partner dashboard (React/TypeScript)
├── matching-algorithm/ # ML matching engine (Python/FastAPI)
├── data_scraping/     # Data collection scripts
└── docs/              # Documentation (this site!)

Each repository has its own:

README with setup instructions
Environment configuration
Dependencies and tooling

Environment Configuration

Each repository requires its own environment configuration:

Web App

Create web_app/.env:

VITE_SUPABASE_URL=your_supabase_url
VITE_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=your_anon_key
VITE_ENV=development

iOS App

Create ios_app/Secrets.xcconfig:

SUPABASE_URL = your_supabase_url
SUPABASE_ANON_KEY = your_anon_key

Matching Algorithm

Create matching-algorithm/.env:

SUPABASE_URL=your_supabase_url
SUPABASE_KEY=your_anon_key

Never commit environment files to version control! They contain sensitive credentials.

Next Steps

Architecture Overview

Understand how components work together

Database Guide

Learn about the Supabase setup

Workflow Guide

Common development workflows

API Reference

Explore available APIs

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Missing environment variables

Make sure you’ve created the .env files in each repository with the correct credentials from your Supabase project.

Supabase connection errors

Verify:

Your Supabase project is active
Credentials are correct
RLS policies allow access

Python version issues

The matching algorithm requires Python 3.9-3.11. Python 3.13 has compatibility issues with some dependencies. Use pyenv to manage Python versions if needed.

Branch 'dev' not found

Some repositories might not have a dev branch yet. In that case, continue using main or create a dev branch from main.

Node version issues

Use Node.js 18+ LTS for best compatibility with the web app.

Getting Help

Slack: Join #dev-help for quick questions
GitHub Issues: Report bugs or request features
Documentation: You’re already here! 🎉

Ready to start building? Head to the workflow guide to learn common development patterns.

Getting Started

Developer Guide

Web App

iOS App

Matching Algorithm

Database

AI Development

Initial Setup

Developer Initial Setup

Prerequisites

Getting Started

1. Create a workspace directory

2. Clone the repositories you need

3. Switch to dev branches

4. Set up each component

Repository Structure

Environment Configuration

Web App

iOS App

Matching Algorithm

Next Steps

Architecture Overview

Database Guide

Workflow Guide

API Reference

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Getting Help

​Developer Initial Setup

​Prerequisites

​Getting Started

​1. Create a workspace directory

​2. Clone the repositories you need

​3. Switch to dev branches

​4. Set up each component

​Repository Structure

​Environment Configuration

​Web App

​iOS App

​Matching Algorithm

​Next Steps

Architecture Overview

Database Guide

Workflow Guide

API Reference

​Troubleshooting

​Common Issues

​Getting Help

Developer Initial Setup

Prerequisites

Getting Started

1. Create a workspace directory

2. Clone the repositories you need

3. Switch to dev branches

4. Set up each component

Repository Structure

Environment Configuration

Web App

iOS App

Matching Algorithm

Next Steps

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Getting Help