Creating an Online Auction System involves several components, including a MySQL database schema, file structure, layout design using Bootstrap 5, and complete PHP scripts for user authentication and management. Below is a comprehensive guide to help you set up your system.

Project Introduction

The Online Auction System is designed to facilitate a seamless and efficient platform for users to buy and sell items through auctions. This system allows sellers to list their items, set auction parameters, and manage bids, while buyers can place bids and make payments securely. With a user-friendly interface and robust backend powered by a MySQL database, the system ensures that all transactions are tracked, notifications are sent, and feedback is collected, creating a comprehensive auction experience for all users.

Project Objectives

  • To provide a secure and user-friendly platform for users to participate in online auctions.
  • To enable sellers to create and manage auction listings effectively.
  • To facilitate real-time bidding and ensure transparency in the auction process.
  • To implement a payment system that supports multiple payment methods for buyers.
  • To allow users to receive notifications about bids, auction status, and payments.
  • To gather feedback from buyers and sellers to improve the auction experience.
  • To generate reports on auction activities, including bids and sales performance.

Project Modules

  1. User Management: Handles user registration, login, and role-based access for admins, buyers, and sellers.
  2. Auction Item Management: Allows sellers to create, update, and manage auction items, including setting auction types and prices.
  3. Bidding System: Facilitates the bidding process, allowing buyers to place bids on auction items in real-time.
  4. Payment Processing: Manages payments for auction items, including payment status tracking and method selection.
  5. Notification System: Sends notifications to users regarding auction updates, bids, and payment confirmations.
  6. Feedback System: Collects ratings and comments from buyers about their auction experiences with sellers.
  7. Auction Reporting: Generates reports on auction performance, including total bids and highest bids for items.

1. MySQL Database Schema


CREATE DATABASE online_auction_system;
USE online_auction_system;
-- Table for users
CREATE TABLE users (
id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
username VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL UNIQUE,
password VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
email VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL UNIQUE,
role ENUM('admin', 'buyer', 'seller') DEFAULT 'buyer',
created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);
-- Table for auction items
CREATE TABLE auction_items (
id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
seller_id INT NOT NULL,
title VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
description TEXT NOT NULL,
starting_price DECIMAL(10, 2) NOT NULL,
reserve_price DECIMAL(10, 2),
auction_type ENUM('english', 'dutch') DEFAULT 'english',
start_time DATETIME NOT NULL,
end_time DATETIME NOT NULL,
status ENUM('active', 'completed', 'canceled') DEFAULT 'active',
created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
FOREIGN KEY (seller_id) REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
);
-- Table for bids
CREATE TABLE bids (
id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
item_id INT NOT NULL,
bidder_id INT NOT NULL,
bid_amount DECIMAL(10, 2) NOT NULL,
bid_time DATETIME NOT NULL,
created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
FOREIGN KEY (item_id) REFERENCES auction_items(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
FOREIGN KEY (bidder_id) REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
);
-- Table for payments
CREATE TABLE payments (
id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
auction_item_id INT NOT NULL,
buyer_id INT NOT NULL,
amount DECIMAL(10, 2) NOT NULL,
payment_date DATETIME NOT NULL,
payment_method ENUM('credit_card', 'paypal', 'bank_transfer') NOT NULL,
status ENUM('completed', 'pending', 'failed') DEFAULT 'pending',
created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
FOREIGN KEY (auction_item_id) REFERENCES auction_items(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
FOREIGN KEY (buyer_id) REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
);
-- Table for notifications
CREATE TABLE notifications (
id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
user_id INT NOT NULL,
message TEXT NOT NULL,
is_read BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE,
created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
FOREIGN KEY (user_id) REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
);
-- Table for feedback
CREATE TABLE feedback (
id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
seller_id INT NOT NULL,
buyer_id INT NOT NULL,
rating INT CHECK (rating >= 1 AND rating <= 5),
comments TEXT,
created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
FOREIGN KEY (seller_id) REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
FOREIGN KEY (buyer_id) REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
);
-- Table for auction reports
CREATE TABLE auction_reports (
id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
item_id INT NOT NULL,
total_bids INT DEFAULT 0,
highest_bid DECIMAL(10, 2) DEFAULT 0.00,
created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
FOREIGN KEY (item_id) REFERENCES auction_items(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
);

2. File and Folder Structure


online_auction_system/

├── config/
│ └── db.php

├── public/
│ ├── index.php
│ ├── login.php
│ ├── register.php
│ ├── dashboard.php
│ ├── create_auction.php
│ ├── view_auction.php
│ ├── bids.php
│ ├── payments.php
│ ├── feedback.php
│ ├── notifications.php
│ └── admin_dashboard.php

├── includes/
│ ├── header.php
│ ├── footer.php
│ └── functions.php

├── assets/
│ ├── css/
│ │ └── styles.css
│ ├── js/
│ │ └── scripts.js
│ └── images/

└── vendor/
└── (Bootstrap and other libraries)

3. Layout Based Design with Bootstrap 5

Header (includes/header.php)


<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<link href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.1.3/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="assets/css/styles.css">
<title>Online Auction System</title>
</head>
<body>
<div class="container">
<header class="my-4">
<h1>Online Auction System</h1>
</header>
<nav class="navbar navbar-expand-lg navbar-light bg-light">
<div class="container-fluid">
<a class="navbar-brand" href="index.php">Home</a>
<button class="navbar-toggler" type="button" data-bs-toggle="collapse" data-bs-target="#navbarNav" aria-controls="navbarNav" aria-expanded="false" aria-label="Toggle navigation">
<span class="navbar-toggler-icon"></span>
</button>
<div class="collapse navbar-collapse" id="navbarNav">
<ul class="navbar-nav">
<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link" href="create_auction.php">Create Auction</a>
</li>
<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link" href="bids.php">My Bids</a>
</li>
<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link" href="payments.php">Payments</a>
</li>
<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link" href="feedback.php">Feedback</a>
</li>
<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link" href="notifications.php">Notifications</a>
</li>
<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link" href="login.php">Login</a>
</li>
<li class="nav-item">
<a class="nav-link" href="register.php">Register</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</nav>
<main class="my-4">

Footer (includes/footer.php)


</main>
<footer class="text-center my-4">
<p>© 2023 Online Auction System. All rights reserved.</p>
</footer>
</div>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.1.3/dist/js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

4. PHP Code for User Authentication

Registration (public/register.php)


<?php
require '../config/db.php';
require '../includes/header.php';
if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] == 'POST') {
$username = $_POST['username'];
$email = $_POST['email'];
$password = password_hash($_POST['password'], PASSWORD_DEFAULT);
$role = $_POST['role'];
$stmt = $conn->prepare("INSERT INTO users (username, email, password, role) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?)");
$stmt->bind_param("ssss", $username, $email, $password, $role);
$stmt->execute();
$stmt->close();
header("Location: login.php");
}
?>
<form method="POST" action="">
<div class="mb-3">
<label for="username" class="form-label">Username</label>
<input type="text" class="form-control" id="username" name="username" required>
</div>
<div class="mb-3">
<label for="email" class="form-label">Email</label>
<input type="email" class="form-control" id="email" name="email" required>
</div>
<div class="mb-3">
<label for="password" class="form-label">Password</label>
<input type="password" class="form-control" id="password" name="password" required>
</div>
<div class="mb-3">
<label for="role" class="form-label">Role</label>
<select class="form-select" id="role" name="role">
<option value="buyer">Buyer</option>
<option value="seller">Seller</option>
<option value="admin">Admin</option>
</select>
</div>
<button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary">Register</button>
</form>
<?php require '../includes/footer.php'; ?>

Login (public/login.php)


<?php
session_start();
require '../config/db.php';
require '../includes/header.php';
if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] == 'POST') {
$username = $_POST['username'];
$password = $_POST['password'];
$stmt = $conn->prepare("SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = ?");
$stmt->bind_param("s", $username);
$stmt->execute();
$result = $stmt->get_result();
$user = $result->fetch_assoc();
if ($user && password_verify($password, $user['password'])) {
$_SESSION['user_id'] = $user['id'];
$_SESSION['role'] = $user['role'];
header("Location: dashboard.php");
} else {
echo "Invalid credentials.";
}
}
?>
<form method="POST" action="">
<div class="mb-3">
<label for="username" class="form-label">Username</label>
<input type="text" class="form-control" id="username" name="username" required>
</div>
<div class="mb-3">
<label for="password" class="form-label">Password</label>
<input type="password" class="form-control" id="password" name="password" required>
</div>
<button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary">Login</button>
</form>
<?php require '../includes/footer.php'; ?>

5. Additional PHP Scripts

Dashboard (public/dashboard.php)


<?php
session_start();
require '../config/db.php';
require '../includes/header.php';
if (!isset($_SESSION['user_id'])) {
header("Location: login.php");
exit();
}
$user_id = $_SESSION['user_id'];
$stmt = $conn->prepare("SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ?");
$stmt->bind_param("i", $user_id);
$stmt->execute();
$result = $stmt->get_result();
$user = $result->fetch_assoc();
?>
<h2>Welcome, <?php echo $user['username']; ?></h2>
<p>Your role: <?php echo ucfirst($user['role']); ?></p>
<?php require '../includes/footer.php'; ?>

Auction Management (public/auction_management.php)


<?php
session_start();
require '../config/db.php';
require '../includes/header.php';
if (!isset($_SESSION['user_id']) || $_SESSION['role'] !== 'seller') {
header("Location: login.php");
exit();
}
if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] == 'POST') {
$title = $_POST['title'];
$description = $_POST['description'];
$starting_price = $_POST['starting_price'];
$reserve_price = $_POST['reserve_price'];
$auction_type = $_POST['auction_type'];
$start_time = $_POST['start_time'];
$end_time = $_POST['end_time'];
$stmt = $conn->prepare("INSERT INTO auction_items (seller_id, title, description, starting_price, reserve_price, auction_type, start_time, end_time) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)");
$stmt->bind_param("issdssss", $_SESSION['user_id'], $title, $description, $starting_price, $reserve_price, $auction_type, $start_time, $end_time);
$stmt->execute();
$stmt->close();
header("Location: auction_management.php");
}
?>
<h2>Create Auction</h2>
<form method="POST" action="">
<div class="mb-3">
<label for="title" class="form-label">Auction Title</label>
<input type="text" class="form-control" id="title" name="title" required>
</div>
<div class="mb-3">
<label for="description" class="form-label">Description</label>
<textarea class="form-control" id="description" name="description" required></textarea>
</div>
<div class="mb-3">
<label for="starting_price" class="form-label">Starting Price</label>
<input type="number" class="form-control" id="starting_price" name="starting_price" required>
</div>
<div class="mb-3">
<label for="reserve_price" class="form-label">Reserve Price</label>
<input type="number" class="form-control" id="reserve_price" name="reserve_price" required>
</div>
<div class="mb-3">
<label for="auction_type" class="form-label">Auction Type</label>
<select class="form-select" id="auction_type" name="auction_type" required>
<option value="english">English</option>
<option value="dutch">Dutch</option>
</select>
</div>
<div class="mb-3">
<label for="start_time" class="form-label">Start Time</label>
<input type="datetime-local" class="form-control" id="start_time" name="start_time" required>
</div>
<div class="mb-3">
<label for="end_time" class="form-label">End Time</label>
<input type="datetime-local" class="form-control" id="end_time" name="end_time" required>
</div>
<button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary">Create Auction</button>
</form>
<?php require '../includes/footer.php'; ?>

Bidding Management (public/bids.php)


<?php
session_start();
require '../config/db.php';
require '../includes/header.php';
if (!isset($_SESSION['user_id'])) {
header("Location: login.php");
exit();
}
if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] == 'POST') {
$item_id = $_POST['item_id'];
$bid_amount = $_POST['bid_amount'];
$stmt = $conn->prepare("INSERT INTO bids (item_id, bidder_id, bid_amount, bid_time) VALUES (?, ?, ?, NOW())");
$stmt->bind_param("iid", $item_id, $_SESSION['user_id'], $bid_amount);
$stmt->execute();
$stmt->close();
header("Location: bids.php");
}
// Fetch auction items for bidding
$stmt = $conn->prepare("SELECT * FROM auction_items WHERE status = 'active'");
$stmt->execute();
$result = $stmt->get_result();
$items = $result->fetch_all(MYSQLI_ASSOC);
?>
<h2>Place a Bid</h2>
<form method="POST" action="">
<div class="mb-3">
<label for="item_id" class="form-label">Select Auction Item</label>
<select class="form-select" id="item_id" name="item_id" required>
<?php foreach ($items as $item): ?>
<option value="<?php echo $item['id']; ?>"><?php echo $item['title']; ?></option>
<?php endforeach; ?>
</select>
</div>
<div class="mb-3">
<label for="bid_amount" class="form-label">Bid Amount</label>
<input type="number" class="form-control" id="bid_amount" name="bid_amount" required>
</div>
<button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary">Place Bid</button>
</form>
<?php require '../includes/footer.php'; ?>

Feedback Management (public/feedback.php)


<?php
session_start();
require '../config/db.php';
require '../includes/header.php';
if (!isset($_SESSION['user_id'])) {
header("Location: login.php");
exit();
}
if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] == 'POST') {
$seller_id = $_POST['seller_id'];
$user_id = $_SESSION['user_id'];
$rating = $_POST['rating'];
$comments = $_POST['comments'];
$stmt = $conn->prepare("INSERT INTO feedback (seller_id, buyer_id, rating, comments) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?)");
$stmt->bind_param("iiis", $seller_id, $user_id, $rating, $comments);
$stmt->execute();
$stmt->close();
header("Location: feedback.php");
}
$stmt = $conn->prepare("SELECT * FROM users WHERE role = 'seller'");
$stmt->execute();
$result = $stmt->get_result();
$sellers = $result->fetch_all(MYSQLI_ASSOC);
?>
<h2>Leave Feedback</h2>
<form method="POST" action="">
<div class="mb-3">
<label for="seller_id" class="form-label">Select Seller</label>
<select class="form-select" id="seller_id" name="seller_id" required>
<?php foreach ($sellers as $seller): ?>
<option value="<?php echo $seller['id']; ?>"><?php echo $seller['username']; ?></option>
<?php endforeach; ?>
</select>
</div>
<div class="mb-3">
<label for="rating" class="form-label">Rating</label>
<select class="form-select" id="rating" name="rating" required>
<option value="1">1</option>
<option value="2">2</option>
<option value="3">3</option>
<option value="4">4</option>
<option value="5">5</option>
</select>
</div>
<div class="mb-3">
<label for="comments" class="form-label">Comments</label>
<textarea class="form-control" id="comments" name="comments" required></textarea>
</div>
<button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary">Submit Feedback</button>
</form>
<h3>Existing Feedback</h3>
<table class="table">
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Seller</th>
<th>User</th>
<th>Rating</th>
<th>Comments</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<?php
$stmt = $conn->prepare("SELECT feedback.*, users.username AS seller_name, buyers.username AS buyer_name FROM feedback JOIN users AS sellers ON feedback.seller_id = sellers.id JOIN users AS buyers ON feedback.buyer_id = buyers.id");
$stmt->execute();
$result = $stmt->get_result();
$feedbacks = $result->fetch_all(MYSQLI_ASSOC);
foreach ($feedbacks as $feedback): ?>
<tr>
<td><?php echo $feedback['seller_name']; ?></td>
<td><?php echo $feedback['buyer_name']; ?></td>
<td><?php echo $feedback['rating']; ?></td>
<td><?php echo $feedback['comments']; ?></td>
</tr>
<?php endforeach; ?>
</tbody>
</table>
<?php require '../includes/footer.php'; ?>

6. Additional Features to Consider

User Profiles: Allow users to edit their profiles and manage their settings.

Advanced Reporting: Implement more sophisticated reporting features for better insights.

Mobile Responsiveness: Ensure the application is fully responsive for mobile users.

7. Security Measures

Input Validation: Ensure all user inputs are validated to prevent SQL injection and XSS attacks.

Password Security: Use strong hashing algorithms for storing passwords.

Session Security: Implement secure session management practices to protect user sessions.

8. Testing and Deployment

Unit Testing: Conduct unit tests for individual components to ensure they function correctly.

Integration Testing: Test the integration of different modules to ensure they work together seamlessly.

Deployment: Choose a reliable hosting provider and deploy the application, ensuring all configurations are optimized for performance.

9. Documentation

User Documentation: Create a user manual to guide users through the platform's features and functionalities.

Developer Documentation: Document the codebase and architecture for future reference and maintenance.

10. Future Enhancements

AI-Powered Insights: Implement machine learning algorithms to provide insights into auction behavior and trends.

Mobile Application: Develop a mobile application for users to access the platform on the go.

Integration with Other Systems: Consider integrating with existing payment gateways or financial systems for a more comprehensive solution.

This structured approach will help you build a comprehensive Online Auction System that meets user needs and adapts to future requirements.