Introduction
In today's digital-first world, creating a job portal isn’t just about displaying listings—it’s about providing users with a seamless, real-time experience. In this article, I'll walk you through building a scalable job board using React and Node.js, with Google Authentication for user logins. This step-by-step guide will cover everything from backend setup to UI/UX design best practices.

Why This Project?
With this project, you'll gain hands-on experience with skills highly sought after in web development, including real-time data processing, authentication, and component-based architecture. Plus, by deploying this project, you’ll have an impressive portfolio piece that stands out!

*1. Setting Up the Backend: *Node.js & Express

First, create a new directory and initialize it as a Node.js project:

mkdir job-board-portal
cd job-board-portal
npm init -y

Install essential packages:

npm install express mongoose passport-google-oauth20

Database Design
We’ll use MongoDB Atlas to store job postings and user data. Here’s a simple schema:

**const jobSchema = new mongoose.Schema({
title: String,
description: String,
skillsRequired: [String],
applicationLink: String,
postedAt: { type: Date, default: Date.now },
});

const Job = mongoose.model("Job", jobSchema);**

API Routes
Create API endpoints for CRUD operations on job listings:

app.get('/api/jobs', async (req, res) => {
const jobs = await Job.find();
res.json(jobs);
});

app.post('/api/jobs', async (req, res) => {
const newJob = new Job(req.body);
await newJob.save();
res.status(201).json(newJob);
});

1. Integrating Google Authentication

Authentication is critical for a job board. We’ll use Google OAuth with Passport.js to allow users to sign in using their Google accounts.

const GoogleStrategy = require('passport-google-oauth20').Strategy;

passport.use(new GoogleStrategy({
clientID: process.env.GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID,
clientSecret: process.env.GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET,
callbackURL: "http://localhost:5000/auth/google/callback"
},
function(accessToken, refreshToken, profile, done) {
// Find or create user in database
}
));

1. Building the Frontend: React + Drizzle ORM

To manage UI state effectively, we'll use React alongside Drizzle ORM for efficient database interactions.

Job List Component
Display job listings with real-time updates:

import React, { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
import axios from 'axios';

function JobList() {
const [jobs, setJobs] = useState([]);

useEffect(() => {
async function fetchJobs() {
const response = await axios.get('/api/jobs');
setJobs(response.data);
}
fetchJobs();
}, []);

return (

{job.title}

{job.description}

Styling with CSS Modules
Make the UI stand out with CSS Modules. Here’s a quick style guide to make components look clean and modern.

.jobList {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(250px, 1fr));
gap: 1rem;
}

.jobItem {
background: #f4f4f9;
padding: 1rem;
border-radius: 8px;
box-shadow: 0 2px 5px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
}

1. Deploying with Netlify and Heroku

Once everything is working locally, deploy your frontend on Netlify and backend on Heroku. This setup ensures fast, reliable access for users.

1. Going the Extra Mile: Adding Real-Time Notifications

Want to impress further? Integrate real-time notifications with Socket.io so users can receive updates on job listings as soon as they’re posted!

Conclusion
By following these steps, you've built a feature-rich, scalable job portal using modern tech. This isn’t just a learning project; it’s something you could genuinely deploy and use. Let me know your thoughts, questions, and how you customized your job board in the comments!