Sadaora Starter App

This is a full-stack starter project built with:

• Frontend: Next.js (TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, Zod)
• Backend: Node.js (Express, TypeScript, Prisma)
• Database: PostgreSQL (via Docker)
• Storage: AWS S3 for image uploads

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📁 Project Structure

├── backend/              # Express backend with Prisma
├── frontend/             # Next.js frontend
├── docker-compose.yml    # Docker services for frontend, backend and DB
└── README.md

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🚀 Getting Started

1. Clone the repo

git clone https://github.com/jmchaves/sadaora-starter.git
cd sadaora-starter

2. Setup environment variables

Rename .env.example to .env.local and replace with:

Open access to keys

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🐳 Running with Docker

Start the frontend, backend and database:

docker compose up --build

This will:

• Start a PostgreSQL database
• Start the backend on port 4000
• App will be available at http://localhost:3000

⚠️ Docker will take time to install and run all the services. Please make sure the backend is running before you access to the frontend.

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💻 Credentials for two users

email address: john@example.com or luisa@example.com
pass: password123

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✅ Features

• JWT Authentication
• Profile editing
• Avatar upload to AWS S3
• Follow/unfollow other users
• Responsive UI with Tailwind
• Zod for form validation

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🧪 Tech Stack

• Frontend: Next.js, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, Zod
• Backend: Express, Prisma, JWT
• Database: PostgreSQL
• Cloud: AWS S3

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📊 Startup Environment Justification

In a startup setting, speed, clarity, and scalability are crucial. My choices reflect these values:

• Monorepo Structure: Keeping frontend and backend in the same repository simplifies onboarding and aligns with the lean nature of startups—developers can move quickly without managing multiple repos.

• Docker for Local Dev: Docker ensures environment consistency across all machines, so new team members can spin up the app in one command—this removes friction and accelerates iteration.

• Prisma ORM + PostgreSQL: Prisma provides rapid development with type safety and intuitive syntax, while PostgreSQL offers a battle-tested, scalable solution fit for production workloads.

• JWT Authentication: Lightweight and scalable, JWT tokens allow the backend to stay stateless—perfect for future horizontal scaling without needing session stores.

• S3 Photo Uploads: Offloading image storage to AWS S3 keeps the app performant and lets us focus on core features, not managing binary files on our server.

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🛠️ Future Improvements

• Component Unit Tests: Add Jest or Vitest tests for frontend components and backend routes to ensure robustness.
• CI/CD Integration: Set up GitHub Actions for automatic testing and deployment.
• Better Error Handling: Centralize error management in backend to return consistent API responses.
• API Rate Limiting: Add rate limiting (e.g., using express-rate-limit) for security.