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Paw Mate
Tech Stack: React, Node.js, MongoDB, Docker, API Integration
🐾 Project Overview
PawMate is a full-stack pet companion web app. It allows users to explore pet profiles, view real-time weather info, and manage pet data through a clean, responsive UI.
The application is structured as a monorepo with a React frontend and Express backend, fully containerized using Docker Compose for ease of deployment and development.
🛠 Technologies Used
- React (Frontend)
- Node.js + Express (Backend)
- MongoDB (Database)
- Docker + Docker Compose (Containerization)
- OpenWeatherMap API (Weather data)
- OpenAI API (Text generation for pet bios)
- Google Maps API (Location integration)
🌟 Key Features
- User-friendly interface to view, create, and manage pet profiles
- Real-time weather integration based on location
- AI-generated pet bios using OpenAI API
- Google Maps display for nearby pet-related locations
- Responsive layout with containerized deployment via Docker Compose
💻 What I Did
- Developed core backend routes and MongoDB schemas for pets and users
- Integrated OpenWeatherMap and OpenAI APIs for external data and smart content
- Set up Docker Compose configuration for local development and deployment
- Built and styled several frontend components using React
- Worked collaboratively using Git branches and PRs under Agile-style workflow
📚 What I Learned
- How to build and deploy a MERN-stack monorepo using Docker Compose
- Experience working with third-party APIs (OpenAI, Google Maps, OpenWeather)
- Improved understanding of backend integration and RESTful API design
- Learned how to containerize applications and maintain an efficient development pipeline
- Gained skills in debugging full-stack systems and handling cross-service communication