Every project is a series of choices. Here is a heatmap of the critical paths I took, the hurdles I cleared, and what I’d do differently today.
I needed a way for different parts of the system to talk to each other without getting tangled up.
I went with REST because it’s a reliable, industry-standard way to keep things predictable.
The API is easy to document and integrates perfectly with almost any tool.
Sometimes it sends a bit more data than needed, but I prioritized simplicity and consistency over micro-optimizing every bytes.
“I’d likely use tRPC now for contract safety between frontend and backend automatically.”
UI is native (non-framework) and needs to be clear, responsive, and maintainable.
Consistency and accessibility improve user trust and adoption.
Better UX, works on all devices, easier to enhance in future.
Needs careful CSS/JS organization; may need a simple design system.
“Introduce reusable components and a lightweight utility library.”