Bargain Alert

React
Typescript
C#
ASP.NET Core
PostgreSQL
SendGrid
Azure Cloud Services
Docker

Bargain Alert is an app in development that is designed to improve how users discover and act on incredible deals. Approved to access TradeMe's official APIs, it empowers users with real-time, personalized notifications tailored to their exact preferences. With features that go beyond TradeMe's native services, Bargain Alert ensures users never miss a deal by offering unmatched flexibility, speed, and precision in managing their search criteria. Whether you're a casual bargain searcher or a seasoned deal enthusiast, Bargain Alert is your ultimate tool for securing the best deals—on the go, any time, anywhere.

Choice of technologies

Selecting the right tech stack for Bargain Alert was a meticulous process, grounded in research and careful consideration of the app's requirements. Each technology was chosen to complement the others, ensuring a seamless, scalable, and high-performing system. My decision-making process focused on balancing developer productivity, long-term maintainability, and the specific needs of the app, such as real-time notifications, structured and semi-structured data handling, and a mobile-first experience. This thoughtful approach demonstrates not only my technical expertise but also my ability to align technical solutions with business objectives.

Frontend Development: React & Typescript

React and Typescript were chosen for the frontend due to their proven track record in building scalable and dynamic user interfaces. React's component-based architecture allows for efficient development and reusability, which is crucial for creating a responsive, mobile-first UI like Bargain Alert. Typescript enhances this process by adding type safety, reducing runtime errors, and improving developer confidence through better tooling and autocompletion. Together, they provide a modern and robust foundation for delivering a polished and user-friendly experience.

Backend Development: ASP.NET Core & PostgreSQL

ASP.NET Core is an excellent choice for the backend due to its high performance, cross-platform support, and strong integration with C#. Its ability to handle concurrent requests efficiently ensures the app can scale as user demand increases. PostgreSQL was selected as the database because of its versatility and advanced features, such as JSONB support. This makes it ideal for handling semi-structured data like notification payloads while still offering robust relational capabilities for managing structured user data. Together, ASP.NET Core and PostgreSQL create a reliable and scalable backend infrastructure tailored to Bargain Alert's needs.

Cloud Services & Email Delivery: Azure & SendGrid

Azure Cloud Services was chosen for its seamless integration with ASP.NET Core and PostgreSQL, as well as its scalability. Azure provides reliable hosting and services that ensure the app performs optimally under varying workloads. SendGrid was selected as the email notification provider due to its effortless integration with Azure and its reputation for delivering secure and reliable email services. This combination guarantees that users receive timely and consistent notifications, a critical feature for Bargain Alert's success.

Containerization: Docker

Docker was chosen to streamline development and deployment by providing a consistent environment across all stages of the development lifecycle. With Docker, the app can be easily containerized, ensuring that dependencies and configurations are packaged together. This approach minimizes compatibility issues and simplifies scaling, especially as the app transitions from development to production. Docker's portability and efficiency make it an essential tool for maintaining high-quality deployment practices in modern web development.

Development process

The development journey of Bargain Alert follows the structured 7-step Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). This approach ensures a methodical progression from concept to delivery, focusing on quality, scalability, and maintainability at each phase. The process includes clear timelines, defined goals, and actionable milestones, providing a roadmap to successfully deliver a high-performing and user-centric application.

Phase 1: Planning & Requirement Analysis

The planning phase focuses on defining the project scope, setting objectives, and resource allocation. For Bargain Alert, this involves identifying the key problem—providing users with real-time notifications for personalized TradeMe deals—and setting clear goals for the app's functionality and user experience.
Resource planning has included choosing a tech stack that aligns with the app's requirements, such as PostgreSQL for semi-structured notification data and Azure for scalability. Additionally, I've created a project timeline to ensure steady progress while maintaining flexibility to adapt to new insights during development.

Phase 2: Defining Requirements

In this phase, requirements are being refined by gathering feedback from real users of TradeMe. While I don't have official stakeholders, I've reached out to friends and colleagues who frequently use TradeMe to understand their pain points and desired features. Their input has been invaluable in shaping the app's core functionalities, such as customizable search filters, real-time notifications, and a mobile-first design.
By combining user insights with a strong understanding of TradeMe's existing features, I'm able to define detailed user stories and feature sets that directly address the needs of my target audience.

Phase 3: Design (Current phase)

At this stage, I am focusing on translating requirements into concrete designs. I've completed the UI mockups, emphasizing simplicity and responsiveness for a seamless mobile-first experience.
Concurrently, I'm planning the database schema to efficiently handle both structured user data and semi-structured notification payloads. API design is also in progress, detailing endpoints and communication logic for retrieving and storing data. Additionally, I am designing the React components to ensure modularity and maintainability in the frontend, aligning every aspect with the app's overarching goals.

Phase 4: Development

In the development phase, I will begin implementing the app based on the designs and requirements. This includes building the frontend with React and Typescript, ensuring a smooth user experience with reusable components, and implementing the backend with ASP.NET Core to handle business logic and API endpoints.
PostgreSQL will be integrated to manage user data and notification storage, leveraging JSONB for flexibility in handling semi-structured data. Continuous integration tools will be used to ensure code quality and streamline deployments. The focus during this phase will be on creating a solid, functional MVP while adhering to clean coding practices.

Phase 5: Testing

Testing is a critical phase where I will rigorously evaluate the app's performance, functionality, and reliability. This includes writing unit tests, integration tests, and end-to-end tests to cover all aspects of the application. I will also implement automated testing pipelines to ensure efficiency.
From my previous project, Ticketer, I learned the importance of dedicating significant time to testing. In that project, I prioritized speed over thorough testing, which led to issues during deployment. For Bargain Alert, I am committed to ensuring every feature is robust, with ample time allocated to identify and fix potential bugs before release.

Phase 6: Deployment

Deployment will involve launching the app on Azure Cloud Services, leveraging its scalability and reliability for hosting both the frontend and backend. I will use Docker to containerize the application, ensuring consistency across environments and simplifying the deployment process.
The deployment process will also include setting up monitoring tools to track the app's performance and identify any issues post-launch. Ensuring a smooth deployment is key to delivering a professional and seamless user experience.

Phase 7: Maintenance

The maintenance phase focuses on continuously improving the app based on user feedback and performance metrics. I plan to gather insights from friends and early adopters testing the app, allowing me to identify bugs, usability issues, and potential new features.
Regular updates will be deployed to address these findings, ensuring the app remains functional and relevant. I will also monitor API usage, email delivery rates via SendGrid, and other key metrics to maintain optimal performance. Adhering to best practices, this phase ensures Bargain Alert evolves to meet user needs over time.

Anticipated challenges

Every app comes with its own set of challenges, but Bargain Alert introduces new complexities for me as a developer. From building a robust and scalable email notification system to adhering to official API guidelines, this project pushes me into uncharted territory. These challenges provide an exciting opportunity to expand my skill set and demonstrate my ability to tackle advanced problems with thoughtful and effective solutions.

Building a scalable notification system

One significant anticipated challenge is ensuring the app's notification system remains efficient and scalable as the user base grows. With notifications potentially being sent every five minutes and customized for each user's criteria, there's a risk of overwhelming the system, particularly as the database grows larger and the number of simultaneous users increases. To tackle this, I plan to implement a queue-based messaging system, such as Azure Service Bus, to manage email notifications efficiently. By decoupling the notification generation process from the main application flow, I can ensure consistent performance and prevent bottlenecks. Additionally, optimizing database queries and leveraging PostgreSQL's JSONB indexing will allow for fast retrieval of complex user criteria.

Handling the exclusive features

Another anticipated challenge is handling the complex search filters and criteria defined by users. Features like multi-category searches, proximity-based seller filtering, and advanced Boolean logic require intricate database queries that can quickly become computationally expensive. To address this, I plan to use a combination of stored procedures and materialized views in PostgreSQL to precompute and cache commonly used queries. This will significantly reduce processing time and allow the app to deliver real-time results without compromising performance.

Precisely following TradeMe's API guidelines at every step

A third challenge lies in ensuring robust API integration with TradeMe's official APIs, which involves complying with their strict terms of service and handling potential API rate limits. Since notifications rely heavily on frequent API calls, managing these limits while maintaining real-time functionality will be crucial. To overcome this, I plan to implement caching mechanisms to store recent API results and avoid redundant calls. Additionally, I'll build a dynamic scheduling system that optimally spaces API requests based on user activity and TradeMe's rate limits. This ensures compliance with their guidelines while delivering timely updates to users.

Bargain Alert

More about this app

Who is Bargain Alert for?

Who is Bargain Alert for?

Exclusive features not found on TradeMe

Exclusive features not found on TradeMe

Why I'm building this app

Why I'm building this app

Improving my technical knowledge

Improving my technical knowledge

Choice of technologies

Frontend Development: React & Typescript

Frontend Development: React & Typescript

Backend Development: ASP.NET Core & PostgreSQL

Backend Development: ASP.NET Core & PostgreSQL

Cloud Services & Email Delivery: Azure & SendGrid

Cloud Services & Email Delivery: Azure & SendGrid

Containerization: Docker

Containerization: Docker

Development process

Phase 1: Planning & Requirement Analysis

Phase 1: Planning & Requirement Analysis

Phase 2: Defining Requirements

Phase 2: Defining Requirements

Phase 3: Design (Current phase)

Phase 3: Design (Current phase)

Phase 4: Development

Phase 4: Development

Phase 5: Testing

Phase 5: Testing

Phase 6: Deployment

Phase 6: Deployment

Phase 7: Maintenance

Phase 7: Maintenance

Anticipated challenges

Building a scalable notification system

Building a scalable notification system

Handling the exclusive features

Handling the exclusive features

Precisely following TradeMe's API guidelines at every step

Precisely following TradeMe's API guidelines at every step

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