/messages

A clone of Twitter built with React and Rails

Primary LanguageJavaScript

README

Live Demo: MESSAGES

Messages is micro-blogging service that replicates the functionality of Twitter. I built this app with another apprentice at Qwasar Silicon Valley.

Features include:

  • Custom user authentication using JSON Web Token (JWT) stored in the database

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  • Ability to post/delete 'tweets', comment on posted tweets, and 'like' or unlike posted tweets

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  • Ability to follow other users and see their tweets

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  • Ability to be followed by other users so they can see your tweets

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  • Ability to 'retweet' a post from another user

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  • Dynamic search of the user database

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  • React front end - state management with Redux
  • PostgreSQL for data storage for Heroku deploy

My specific contributions include:

  • Create basic framework for the application using Rails and Create-React-App
  • Implement database logic for User, including model for followers and following - see this GIST for details
  • Implement logic to like and comment on tweets
  • Deploy app to Heroku
  • Numerous bug fixes and minor tweaks to front-end

TODO (time permitting):

  • Write unit tests for all aspects of the application
  • Refactor front end for enhanced UX/UI
  • Refactor React Router logic
  • Improve performance with fewer API calls to database

We used this project to understand how to marry React on the front-end with Rails on the back-end. We also studied the structure of a relational database for allowing users to follow and be followed by other users (Twitter Model), and tweets to be retweeted.