docs: enhance README with structured sections and project clarity (#122)

* docs: enhance README with structured documentation

* docs: enhance README with structured documentation

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---------

Co-authored-by: Jagdish Prajapati <jagadishdrp@gmail.com>
Co-authored-by: github-actions[bot] <github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>

Author: 3 people

README.md

@@ -1,18 +1,44 @@
 # CodePVG LeetCode Ranking
 
-A web-based platform developed by [CodePVG](https://www.linkedin.com/company/codepvg/) to track and rank students of [PVG COET](https://www.pvgcoet.ac.in/) based on their LeetCode performance
+A web-based platform developed by [CodePVG](https://www.linkedin.com/company/codepvg/) to track, analyze, and rank students of [PVG COET](https://www.pvgcoet.ac.in/) based on their LeetCode activity and problem-solving performance.
 
-It allows users to register with their LeetCode username and automatically fetches their problem-solving statistics to display on a leaderboard.
+The platform allows students to register using their LeetCode username and automatically generates leaderboard rankings, historical progress tracking, and performance insights through periodic synchronization of LeetCode statistics.
 
 ---
 
 ## Purpose
 
-The goal of this project is to:
+The goal of this project is to encourage consistent problem-solving among students by providing a centralized platform to track LeetCode activity and coding progress.
 
-- Encourage consistent problem-solving among students
-- Create a competitive yet motivating environment
-- Provide visibility into individual coding progress
+Through regularly updated leaderboards and historical performance tracking, the platform aims to create a competitive yet collaborative environment where students can monitor their growth, stay motivated, and improve their problem-solving skills over time.
+
+---
+
+## Features
+
+- **LeetCode-based Student Registration**
+  Students can register using their LeetCode username to participate in the leaderboard.
+
+- **Automated Performance Tracking**
+  The platform periodically fetches and updates user problem-solving statistics automatically.
+
+- **Dynamic Multi-View Leaderboards**
+  Supports overall, monthly, weekly, and daily leaderboard rankings.
+
+- **Historical Progress Tracking**
+  Tracks past performance and rank movement over time using historical leaderboard snapshots.
+
+- **Terminal-inspired Responsive UI**
+  A lightweight terminal-style interface designed to work across both desktop and mobile devices.
+
+- **Search, Filtering, and Comparison Tools**
+  Includes leaderboard search, filtering, and peer comparison features for easier performance analysis.
+
+- **Decoupled Data Architecture**
+  Frontend, backend, and leaderboard data storage are maintained independently for easier scalability and maintenance.
+
+- **Automated Synchronization Workflows**
+  GitHub Actions and sync scripts help keep leaderboard data updated without manual intervention.
 
 ---
 
@@ -32,6 +58,31 @@ A quick preview of the platform UI. The appearance may evolve as the project dev
 
 ![Leaderboard](assets/leaderboard.png)
 
+---
+
+## Architecture
+
+The project follows a decoupled structure where leaderboard generation, data storage, API handling, and frontend rendering are handled independently across multiple repositories and services.
+
+### Components
+
+- **Frontend (`frontend/`)**
+  Handles the leaderboard UI, registration pages, comparison features, and client-side interactions. Leaderboard datasets are fetched directly from the `leetcode-ranking-data` repository.
+
+- **Express Server (`server.js`)**
+  Serves the frontend and exposes API endpoints for student-specific information, history tracking, and related backend functionality.
+
+- **Sync Scripts (`scripts/`)**
+  Periodically fetch and process LeetCode statistics to generate updated leaderboard datasets.
+
+- **Data Repository (`leetcode-ranking-data`)**
+  Stores generated leaderboard snapshots, historical statistics, and processed JSON data separately from the main application repository.
+
+- **GitHub Actions (`.github/workflows/`)**
+  Automates scheduled sync runs, formatting checks, stale issue management, and other repository workflows.
+
+---
+
 ## Related Repositories
 
 - [leetcode-ranking-data](https://github.com/codepvg/leetcode-ranking-data) – The database repository where raw JSON data and historical stats are stored
@@ -44,11 +95,12 @@ A quick preview of the platform UI. The appearance may evolve as the project dev
 
 ## Project Structure
 
-```
+```text
 leetcode-ranking/
-│── frontend/        # UI (HTML, CSS, JS) - Fetches data from leetcode-ranking-data
-│── scripts/         # Automation scripts (sync-leaderboard.js)
-│── server.js        # Express server
+│── .github/        # GitHub Actions workflows
+│── frontend/       # UI (HTML, CSS, JS) - Fetches data from leetcode-ranking-data
+│── scripts/        # Automation scripts (sync-leaderboard.js)
+│── server.js       # Express server
 │── package.json
 ```
 
@@ -57,41 +109,62 @@ leetcode-ranking/
 
 ---
 
-## How to Run Locally
+## Usage
+
+The platform is publicly available at:
+
+`https://codepvg.onrender.com`
+
+Students can register using their LeetCode username to participate in the leaderboard, track rankings across different leaderboard views, monitor historical performance, and compare progress with other users.
+
+Leaderboard data is synchronized periodically, so newly registered users and recent submissions may take a few minutes to appear in the rankings.
 
-### 1. Fork and clone the repository
+---
 
-First, fork the repository to your GitHub account. Then clone it locally:
+## How to Run Locally
 
 ```bash
 git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/leetcode-ranking.git
 cd leetcode-ranking
+npm install
+npm run dev
 ```
 
-### 2. Install dependencies
+Then open the frontend locally in your browser after starting the server.
+
+For detailed development setup, sync workflow testing, contribution guidelines, and local data repository configuration, refer to `CONTRIBUTING.md`.
 
-`npm install`
+---
 
-### 3. Run the project
+## Contributing
 
-`npm run dev`
-or
-`node start`
+Contributions, suggestions, and improvements are welcome.
 
-## Usage
+Before starting work on a feature or fix, please check the existing issues/discussions or open a new issue to discuss the proposed change first.
 
-1. Open the registration page
-2. Enter your name and LeetCode username
-3. Submit the form
-4. View your ranking on the leaderboard after the next sync
+For detailed contribution guidelines, local workflow setup, formatting instructions, and sync workflow testing, refer to `CONTRIBUTING.md`.
 
 ---
 
-## Contributing
+## License
+
+This project is licensed under the MIT License.
+
+You are free to use, modify, and distribute this project with proper attribution.
+
+---
+
+## Contributors
+
+Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the project and helped improve the platform through features, fixes, suggestions, and discussions.
+
+You can view the full list of contributors here:
+https://github.com/codepvg/leetcode-ranking/graphs/contributors
+
+---
+
+## Maintainer
 
-Contributions are welcome.
+Maintained by [Jagdish Prajapati](https://github.com/jagdish-15) as part of the CodePVG initiative.
 
-- Fork the repository
-- Create a new branch
-- Make your changes
-- Submit a Pull Request
+For major feature proposals, architecture discussions, or project-related queries, feel free to open an issue/discussion in the repository.