Redoit

[ DO NOT READ, THIS IS A TEMPLATE BY ChatGPT ]

Redoit is an offline-first habit tracker, designed to help users build and maintain positive routines.

My Role

As the sole developer, I had the chance to work on every aspect of the project, from form planning through development to deployment.

Stack

Opting for React was a logical choice, particularly with the future development of a mobile version using React Native in mind. This approach will enable better code sharing between the web and mobile versions. I used Replicache to handle offline-first functionality. Serving as the backend framework is Next.js, and the decision to host the application on Vercel was a natural one, given its standing as the default platform for Next.js projects.

Overcoming Challenges and Thought Process

Overcoming Challenges and Thought Process I encountered numerous challenges, and one that stood out was the implementation of offline support for the existing backend. This proved to be a particularly intricate problem to solve, considering the multitude of edge cases and the critical need to handle server failures without risking any data loss—especially unacceptable for a habit tracker, where years of tracking data could be at stake.

After exploring various solutions, I chose Replicache, a client-side sync library designed for building real-time and local-first applications. Replicache was selected due to its exceptional reliability and seamless integration capabilities with most backends.

Another challenge involved selecting a technology stack that not only works for the current scenario but will seamlessly integrate with React Native in the future, ensuring a smooth transition to mobile platforms and facilitating efficient code sharing.

Lessons Learned

As the project scaled, implementing changes became more time-consuming. Recognizing the importance of constant code refactoring, I learned to keep components small and modular. I also extracted certain functionalities into their own npm packages for maintainability.