Introduction
As part of a fast-moving product build, I was brought in to design the database and system architecture that would support the app’s complex data needs—balancing scalability, performance, and real-time data flow across multiple platforms.
Objective
- Build a centralized admin platform for internal teams to manage users, content, pricing and chats.
- Provide real-time visibility and control over backend operations.
- Enable non-technical staff to perform CRUD operations without developer support.
- Improve internal efficiency by automating repetitive admin tasks.
- Support secure, role-based access and scalability for future features.
- Run data-driven A/B tests to optimize user onboarding and engagement.
Methodology
System Architecture Design
- Designed a modular architecture connecting the core app to external servers, PostgreSQL databases, and multiple web-based admin/user dashboards.
- Created clear data flow diagrams mapping how data moved between services, ensuring integrity, low latency and future extensibility.
Database Structuring:
- Modeled key database tables for users, transactions, admin actions, and system logs using PostgreSQL.
- Emphasized data normalization, index optimization, and relationship mapping (1:1, 1:N, M:N) to ensure query performance and ease of maintenance.
- Defined constraints, primary/foreign keys, and cascading rules to ensure data consistency.
API-Driven Workflow Design:
- Drafted a full CRUD-based API structure to interact with the database, covering endpoints.
- Proposed token-based authentication and rate-limiting for API calls to maintain security and performance.
Real-Time Communication Layer:
Designed system logic for event-based triggers (e.g., new request created, price updated) to send automated notifications
Result
- Delivered a comprehensive architecture plan that was used as the blueprint for app development and deployment.
- Helped the dev team avoid major rework by identifying database-level issues early in the lifecycle.
Summary
Mockup Dashboard is coming soon....
