IRL Connector

Inspiration

IRL Connector bridges the gap between online social networking and real-world interactions. Unlike traditional social media that keeps people behind screens, IRL Connector is built specifically to facilitate in-person meetups with nearby people who share your interests, as well as help you stay connected with existing friends.

What it does

The app operates on a proximity-based discovery system with privacy-first principles:

Users control when they're discoverable via an on/off toggle
Initial proximity notifications don't reveal exact locations or profiles
All profile sharing requires mutual consent
Real-world meetups are encouraged and documented through shared memories

How we built it

Mobile Application

Framework: Flutter 3.9.2+ (iOS & Android)
Platforms: Native support for iPhone and Android devices
Maps: OpenStreetMap with flutter_map
Location: Device geolocation for user location services
UI: Material Design 3 with custom theme system

Backend

Framework: Symfony 7.3 (PHP 8.2+)
Database: MySQL 8.0 with spatial extensions (PostGIS-style functions)
Authentication: Firebase, JWT tokens
API: RESTful endpoints with JSON responses
Architecture: Domain-driven design with separate modules

Infrastructure

Docker-based development environment
MySQL 8.0 database for persistent storage
Nginx web server (port 8080)
phpMyAdmin for database management (port 8081)
Mercure hub for real-time updates
Docker Compose orchestration

Challenges we ran into

We ran into issues with configuring a Docker environment, troubleshooting a debugger, and building our Flutter app for iOS. Constructing the app’s business logic to sync the front-end state to the back-end data was time-consuming, limiting the time we could devote to features such as a public live deployment, realtime WebSocket updates, and a ML people recommender system.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We achieved a visually appealing and seamlessly interactive mobile app’s user interface. We are proud of the robust backend database and API systems we developed to manage data.

What we learned

We learned a lot about technologies like PHP Symfony, Docker, JWT authentication, Flutter mobile, geolocation, and cross-platform app building. We also learned about the importance of organization, energy management, effective planning, and communication for getting a project out the door on a tight deadline.

What's next for IRL Connector

Implement Auth0 authentication flow
Real-time updates with Mercure
Proximity-based discovery logic
Push notifications
Post creation and feed integration
ML friend recommendation model running on DigitalOcean Gradient

Built With

dart
docker
firebase
flutter
flutter-map
jwt
material-design
nginx
php
symfony

Submitted to

RowdyHacks XI

Created by

I aided in polishing the frontend and helped to connect our rest API with the frontend.

8SIXSect
I worked on everything from UI/UX, db, etc

aidandc25
I worked on the back-end, focusing on receiving and updating user geolocation data. I set up AWS S3 for image storage and Mercure for WebSockets, but the features were dropped from our final concept for scope. And I worked on design and presentation.

William Qin
Full-Stack Developer
I led the backend for IRL Connector—implementing secure Firebase-JWT auth, defining clear REST API contracts (check-in, proximity discovery, consented sharing, memories), and owning configs. Built on Symfony 7.3 + MySQL 8, I documented endpoints, enforced validation/pagination/error shapes, and added guards, scopes, CORS, and rate-limits. I also set up the Dockerized stack (Nginx, PHP-FPM, MySQL, phpMyAdmin) and Mercure hooks for real-time nudges, ensuring smooth mobile integration.

Nazarii Tsubera