How to Build a Local Tech Innovation Network: Connecting Minds, Sparking Ideas

Simple Summary

A social networking platform designed to connect local tech professionals and foster innovation collaboration, featuring project sharing, skill matching, and community-driven events.

Product Requirements Document (PRD)

Goals:

• Create a vibrant local tech community
• Facilitate innovation and collaboration
• Connect professionals with complementary skills
• Promote local tech events and meetups

Target Audience:

• Tech professionals
• Entrepreneurs
• Students in tech fields
• Local businesses and startups

Key Features:

1. User Profiles with Skill Tags
2. Project Showcase and Collaboration Tools
3. Local Event Calendar and RSVP System
4. Skill Matching Algorithm
5. Real-time Messaging
6. Community Forums
7. Job Board for Local Opportunities
8. Resource Sharing Library

User Requirements:

• Intuitive, responsive design
• Secure authentication and data protection
• Real-time notifications
• Search and filter functionality
• Mobile app support

User Flows

1. User Registration and Profile Creation:

   • Sign up with email or social media
   • Create profile with personal info, skills, and interests
   • Set privacy preferences

2. Project Collaboration:

   • Create a new project
   • Invite collaborators or open for applications
   • Share updates and milestones
   • Receive and give feedback

3. Event Discovery and Participation:

   • Browse local tech events
   • RSVP and add to personal calendar
   • Post-event networking and feedback

Technical Specifications

Frontend:

• React with Next.js for server-side rendering
• Redux for state management
• Styled-components for CSS-in-JS
• React Query for data fetching and caching

Backend:

• Node.js with Express.js
• GraphQL API with Apollo Server
• PostgreSQL database
• Redis for caching and session management

Authentication:

• JWT for stateless authentication
• OAuth2 for social media login integration

Real-time Features:

• Socket.io for WebSocket communication

Mobile:

• React Native for cross-platform mobile app

DevOps:

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

API Endpoints

GraphQL API with the following main queries and mutations:

Queries:

• getUserProfile(userId: ID!): User
• getProjects(filters: ProjectFilters): [Project]
• getEvents(filters: EventFilters): [Event]
• searchUsers(query: String!): [User]

Mutations:

• createUser(input: CreateUserInput!): User
• updateProfile(input: UpdateProfileInput!): User
• createProject(input: CreateProjectInput!): Project
• createEvent(input: CreateEventInput!): Event
• sendMessage(input: SendMessageInput!): Message

Subscriptions:

• messageReceived(userId: ID!): Message
• projectUpdated(projectId: ID!): Project

Database Schema

Users:

• id (PK)
• email
• password_hash
• name
• bio
• skills (Array)
• location

Projects:

• id (PK)
• title
• description
• creator_id (FK to Users)
• collaborators (Array of User IDs)
• status
• created_at
• updated_at

Events:

• id (PK)
• title
• description
• date
• location
• organizer_id (FK to Users)
• attendees (Array of User IDs)

Messages:

• id (PK)
• sender_id (FK to Users)
• receiver_id (FK to Users)
• content
• timestamp

Skills:

• id (PK)
• name
• category

File Structure

Implementation Plan

1. Project Setup (1-2 days)

   • Initialize repository and project structure
   • Set up development environment and tools

2. Backend Development (2-3 weeks)

   • Implement database schema and models
   • Develop GraphQL API with resolvers
   • Implement authentication and authorization

3. Frontend Development (3-4 weeks)

   • Create reusable UI components
   • Implement main pages and routing
   • Integrate with GraphQL API
   • Develop real-time features

4. Mobile App Development (2-3 weeks)

   • Set up React Native project
   • Implement core screens and navigation
   • Ensure feature parity with web app

5. Testing and QA (1-2 weeks)

   • Write and run unit tests
   • Perform integration testing
   • Conduct user acceptance testing

6. Deployment and DevOps (1 week)

   • Set up CI/CD pipeline
   • Configure cloud infrastructure
   • Deploy to staging environment

7. Final Testing and Launch (1 week)

   • Perform final QA and bug fixes
   • Soft launch to beta users
   • Full production launch

8. Post-launch Monitoring and Iteration (Ongoing)

   • Monitor performance and user feedback
   • Implement improvements and new features

Deployment Strategy

1. Use AWS as the cloud provider:

   • EC2 for application servers
   • RDS for PostgreSQL database
   • ElastiCache for Redis
   • S3 for static asset storage

2. Implement containerization with Docker:

   • Create separate containers for frontend, backend, and database
   • Use Docker Compose for local development

3. Set up CI/CD pipeline with GitHub Actions:

   • Automated testing on pull requests
   • Deployment to staging on merge to develop branch
   • Deployment to production on merge to main branch

4. Use AWS Elastic Beanstalk for easy scaling and management

5. Implement blue-green deployment for zero-downtime updates

6. Set up monitoring and logging:

   • AWS CloudWatch for logs and metrics
   • Sentry for error tracking
   • Datadog for application performance monitoring

7. Implement regular database backups and disaster recovery plan

8. Use CloudFront CDN for global content delivery

Design Rationale

The tech stack and architecture were chosen to provide a scalable, maintainable, and performant solution:

• React and Next.js offer excellent performance and SEO benefits
• GraphQL provides a flexible and efficient API layer
• PostgreSQL offers robust relational data storage with JSON support
• Redis enhances performance for caching and real-time features
• Docker and AWS ensure scalability and ease of deployment
• React Native allows for code sharing between web and mobile apps

The modular file structure and component-based architecture promote code reusability and maintainability. The implementation plan prioritizes core features and allows for iterative development and feedback incorporation. The deployment strategy ensures reliability, scalability, and ease of updates, crucial for a growing social platform.