Tech-Freak – eCommerce Platform for Tech Products

Core Problems

• Limited Access to Tech Products

  Tech enthusiasts often face difficulty finding specific or niche tech products in one place. The app provides a wide range of products from laptops to earphones, all available in a single platform.

• Complicated Checkout and Payment Processes

  Many online platforms have confusing or lengthy checkout processes. Tech-Freak simplifies this with Stripe integration, ensuring quick, secure payments without unnecessary steps.

• Time Efficiency

  Shopping online saves users time compared to visiting multiple physical stores. Tech-Freak allows users to quickly find and purchase products with a few clicks.

Core Stack

• Node.js

  Serving as the runtime environment, Node.js allows the application to run JavaScript on the server, ensuring efficient communication between the frontend and backend.

• Express.js

  Used to create the server-side API, Express.js handles requests and responses, enabling features like user authentication and product management.

• MongoDB

  This is the database where all product information, user accounts, and transaction data are stored, providing the necessary backend support for data management.

• React.js

  The frontend of the application is built using React.js, which allows for a dynamic and interactive user interface, improving the shopping experience.

• React Router

  This library manages the navigation within the application, allowing users to move between different sections (like product pages and the shopping cart) without page reloads.

• Sass/SCSS

  This preprocessor is used for styling the application, allowing for more efficient and organized CSS development. It enables the use of variables, nested rules, and mixins, which helps maintain a clean and manageable stylesheet as the project scales.

Functionality and Features

• User Authentication

  The application supports user authentication features, including logging in, signing up, and resetting passwords. This ensures secure access to user accounts.

• Stripe Integration

  For efficient payment processing, the app integrates with Stripe, allowing users to make secure transactions for their purchases.

• User Dashboard

  Users have access to a personalized dashboard where they can manage their accounts and update their profile information.

• Cart Functionality

  The application includes a shopping cart feature that allows users to view all products they’ve added to their cart, facilitating easy management of their selections before checkout.

• Real-Time Emails

  Users receive real-time email notifications for key actions such as order confirmations, password resets, and account activity, enhancing communication and user engagement.

Challenges faced

The biggest challenge in building this eCommerce web application was integrating all the different technologies to create the final product. I had to manually handle most aspects, including implementing user authentication with JWT (JSON Web Tokens) for secure login and session management. Combining these various technologies—like React, Express, MongoDB, and Stripe—required careful coordination, but it was a valuable learning experience. It gave me a deeper understanding of how each core technology operates and how to use them effectively to bring the final product together.

Conclusion

This eCommerce web application for tech products showcases my ability to build a full-stack application from scratch using the MERN stack, React Router, and Sass/SCSS for styling. By integrating features such as user authentication with JWT and Stripe for payments, I gained a comprehensive understanding of how these technologies work together. The challenges I faced throughout the process helped me improve my problem-solving skills, and the final product is a functional, user-friendly platform that delivers a smooth online shopping experience. I'm excited to continue building upon this project and applying these learnings to future endeavors