LibraryView

A responsive web app interface displaying a library catalog with search and filtering options.

Overview

LibraryView is a fully responsive library management web app that includes both an intuitive user interface for browsing and borrowing books, and a powerful admin panel for managing users, book catalogs, and borrow requests. The app is built entirely in a serverless environment with no separate backend, optimizing performance by minimizing client-side operations.

Tech Stack

Frontend: Next.js 15 (App Router), React, Tailwind CSS for styling
Backend: Serverless architecture with PostgreSQL (managed with Drizzle ORM) and Upstash Redis for caching and rate limiting
Authentication: Auth.js for user authentication
Media Handling: ImageKit for image management
PDF Generation: Puppeteer for dynamic PDF receipt generation
Email Notifications: Nodemailer for sending automated emails
Cloud Storage: AWS S3 for storing PDF receipts and user-related media

Architecture & Development Insights

Serverless Environment: The entire project is built in a serverless architecture, with all backend functionalities handled directly within the app environment, ensuring better performance and scalability.
Database Integration: Utilized PostgreSQL for data storage and Drizzle ORM for efficient database interactions. The app’s database design is optimized for performance, especially when dealing with large volumes of data like books, users, and borrowing records.
Minimizing Client-Side Load: Focused on reducing client-side rendering and heavy lifting, ensuring faster load times and better overall performance. Most of the data processing and interactions are handled server-side, which enhances speed and user experience.
Security: Implemented robust security measures such as account verification and role-based access control (admin vs. user roles).

User Experience (UX)

Target Audience

Library Patrons: Users seeking a seamless experience for browsing, borrowing, and tracking books.
Library Administrators: Staff needing an advanced dashboard for managing books, user roles, and borrow requests.
Developers: Those looking for inspiration or guidance on building full-stack, serverless web apps.

Key Features

User Account Management: Users can create accounts, manage their profiles, and track their borrowing history.
Advanced Search & Filtering: The app supports advanced searching by title, author, genre, and other filters, along with pagination for browsing large catalogs.
Borrow Request Approval: Users can request to borrow books, which are processed through an approval system by the admin.
Admin Dashboard: Admins have access to comprehensive statistics, user management tools, and the ability to manage borrowing requests.
PDF Receipts: Automated PDF receipts are generated and stored using Puppeteer and AWS S3 for secure cloud storage.
Responsive Design: The app is fully responsive, offering an optimized user experience across all device sizes.

Challenges & Learning Experiences

Managing Complex Data Interactions in a Serverless Architecture

As the project was built entirely in a serverless environment, it required careful consideration of how data was managed and processed. Implementing PostgreSQL and Drizzle ORM in a serverless context provided valuable insights into working with serverless databases and managing large volumes of dynamic data (user profiles, books, and borrow requests) in an optimized way.

Optimizing for Performance

One of the primary challenges was minimizing the client-side load for better performance. By shifting most of the data interactions to the server-side, I was able to ensure that the app loads quickly, even with large datasets. This was crucial for both user experience and app scalability.

Security & User Roles

With different roles (admin, user), ensuring secure access to various parts of the app was a challenge. The integration of Auth.js allowed for a smooth authentication process, while role-based access control ensured that users could only interact with the appropriate sections (e.g., borrow books, view admin dashboard).

Workflow Optimization with Upstash

Problem: Efficient handling of caching, rate-limiting, and workflows across a serverless app.
Solution: Upstash Redis was integrated to optimize workflows and ensure fast, scalable access to frequently used data, reducing database load and improving overall system performance.

Extensive Email Notification System

Problem: Automating email notifications for borrow request status updates, account verifications, and more.
Solution: Built a comprehensive mailing system using Nodemailer, providing seamless communication with users throughout their experience—from account creation to borrow request status notifications and PDF receipt generation.

Handling File Management & PDF Generation

Problem: Storing and managing dynamic PDF receipts generated for borrow requests.
Solution: Leveraged Puppeteer for generating PDFs and stored them securely in AWS S3 with well-defined access rules to handle file management efficiently.

Conclusion

LibraryView was an excellent opportunity to deepen my skills in full-stack development, especially in serverless architecture, database management, and performance optimization. By minimizing client-side operations, focusing on efficient backend solutions, and leveraging modern tools like Next.js, PostgreSQL, and Puppeteer, I was able to create a high-performance, scalable web application.

Future improvements include:

Enhanced search capabilities (e.g., full-text search)
More advanced user analytics and reporting
Real-time notifications for borrow request status updates