How to Build a Dynamic Hobby Group Matcher with Interest Tagging

Simple Summary

A user-friendly Hobby Group Matcher that connects people with shared interests using customizable tags, fostering community and enabling easy discovery of like-minded individuals.

Product Requirements Document (PRD)

Goals:

• Develop a user-friendly platform for hobby enthusiasts to connect
• Implement an intuitive interest tagging system
• Enable easy group discovery and formation
• Ensure scalability and security

Target Audience:

• Hobby enthusiasts of all ages
• People looking to explore new interests
• Community organizers and group leaders

Key Features:

1. User registration and profile creation
2. Interest tag selection and management
3. Group creation and joining functionality
4. Search and filter groups by tags
5. In-app messaging for group communication
6. Event planning and calendar integration
7. Notification system for group activities and matches

User Requirements:

• Intuitive UI for tag selection and group discovery
• Ability to create and manage multiple interest tags
• Privacy controls for user information
• Mobile-responsive design for on-the-go access
• Real-time updates for group activities and messages

User Flows

1. User Registration and Profile Setup:

   • Sign up with email or social media
   • Create profile with basic information
   • Select and customize interest tags
   • Set privacy preferences

2. Group Discovery and Joining:

   • Browse groups based on interest tags
   • Filter and search for specific groups
   • View group details and member list
   • Request to join or directly join open groups
   • Receive confirmation of group membership

3. Group Interaction and Management:

   • Create a new group with defined interest tags
   • Invite members and manage join requests
   • Post updates and events to the group
   • Participate in group discussions
   • Receive notifications for group activities

Technical Specifications

Frontend:

• React for component-based UI development
• Redux for state management
• Styled-components for CSS-in-JS styling
• React Router for navigation

Backend:

• Node.js with Express.js for API development
• PostgreSQL for relational data storage
• Redis for caching and session management
• Socket.io for real-time communication

Authentication:

• JWT for secure authentication
• OAuth integration for social media login

APIs and Services:

• SendGrid for email notifications
• Cloudinary for image uploads and storage
• Google Maps API for location-based features

DevOps:

• Docker for containerization
• GitHub Actions for CI/CD
• AWS for cloud hosting

API Endpoints

• POST /api/auth/register
• POST /api/auth/login
• GET /api/users/:id
• PUT /api/users/:id
• GET /api/tags
• POST /api/tags
• GET /api/groups
• POST /api/groups
• GET /api/groups/:id
• PUT /api/groups/:id
• POST /api/groups/:id/join
• GET /api/notifications
• POST /api/messages

Database Schema

Users:

• id (PK)
• username
• email
• password_hash
• created_at
• updated_at

Tags:

• id (PK)
• name
• category

UserTags:

• user_id (FK)
• tag_id (FK)

Groups:

• id (PK)
• name
• description
• creator_id (FK)
• created_at
• updated_at

GroupTags:

• group_id (FK)
• tag_id (FK)

GroupMembers:

• group_id (FK)
• user_id (FK)
• role

Messages:

• id (PK)
• group_id (FK)
• user_id (FK)
• content
• created_at

File Structure

Implementation Plan

1. Project Setup (1-2 days)

   • Initialize Git repository
   • Set up React frontend with Create React App
   • Configure Node.js backend with Express
   • Set up PostgreSQL database

2. User Authentication (3-4 days)

   • Implement registration and login API
   • Create frontend auth components
   • Set up JWT authentication
   • Integrate social media OAuth

3. Core Features Development (10-14 days)

   • Develop interest tag system
   • Create group CRUD operations
   • Implement user profile management
   • Build group discovery and joining functionality

4. Real-time Features (5-7 days)

   • Set up Socket.io for real-time updates
   • Implement in-app messaging
   • Create notification system

5. Search and Filter Functionality (3-4 days)

   • Develop advanced search for groups and users
   • Implement tag-based filtering

6. UI/UX Refinement (5-7 days)

   • Design and implement responsive layouts
   • Create intuitive navigation
   • Optimize for accessibility

7. Testing and Bug Fixing (5-7 days)

   • Conduct unit and integration testing
   • Perform user acceptance testing
   • Address and fix identified issues

8. Deployment Preparation (2-3 days)

   • Set up CI/CD pipeline
   • Configure production environment
   • Prepare documentation

9. Launch and Monitoring (Ongoing)

   • Deploy to production
   • Monitor performance and user feedback
   • Iterate and improve based on analytics

Deployment Strategy

1. Set up AWS EC2 instances for backend services
2. Use Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL database hosting
3. Deploy frontend to Amazon S3 with CloudFront for CDN
4. Implement AWS Elastic Load Balancer for traffic management
5. Use Docker containers for consistent deployment across environments
6. Set up GitHub Actions for automated testing and deployment
7. Implement AWS CloudWatch for logging and monitoring
8. Use AWS Backup for regular database backups
9. Configure AWS WAF for additional security

Design Rationale

The Hobby Group Matcher is designed with scalability and user experience as top priorities. React is chosen for its component-based architecture, allowing for reusable UI elements and efficient updates. Node.js and Express provide a robust backend capable of handling concurrent connections, essential for real-time features.

PostgreSQL offers strong data integrity and complex querying capabilities, crucial for managing relationships between users, groups, and tags. Redis is incorporated for caching frequently accessed data and managing sessions, improving overall performance.

The interest tagging system is central to the application's functionality, enabling precise matching and discovery. Real-time features using Socket.io enhance user engagement and provide immediate feedback. The file structure is organized to separate concerns, making the codebase maintainable and scalable as the project grows.

The deployment strategy leverages AWS services to ensure high availability, easy scaling, and robust security. Containerization with Docker ensures consistency across development and production environments, while the CI/CD pipeline automates testing and deployment, reducing human error and speeding up the release process.