Recipe Magic is a web app that uses Edamam API that allows users to search through massive recipe database, filter recipes by various attributes (diet, health, ingredients, etc.) and displays nutritional and health data.
Website link: Recipe Magic
Tech info
- React (with Hooks)
- Typescript
- Redux (with Hooks)
- react-app-rewired (instead of ejecting)
- react-router
- animejs
- PostCSS (with postcss-preset-env)
- Edamam API
- Netlify hosting
Challenges
Restrictive API
Edamam API is awesome, but also very restrictive towards free users. It allows free users only 5 requests per minute, so I needed to implement a mechanism that will restrict users to 1 request every 12 seconds.
Skeleton Loading
Most data is being loaded dynamically (recipe lists, recipe details, etc.), so having spinners everywhere seemed as a quick-and-dirty solution. Not to mention that it provided terrible UX.
Since the data is highly predictable, I've decided to implement skeleton loading or skeleton screens. I've written a short tutorial on implementing it here:
Implementing Skeleton Loading in React
Adrian Bece for PROTOTYP ・ Sep 4 '19
Delightful Animations
I also wanted to create a delightful UX, not only using CSS but also JS animations. I've used animejs to create simple animations to give the site more personality.
Work in progress
Although this project is pretty much feature-complete, there are still some rough edges and code cleanups that I need to do.
Let me know what you think about the project, feel free to let me know if you have any ideas for improving the app.
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Top comments (3)
Hi Adrian. Nice coverage of the topic. How APIs make live of us developers easier. I am creating a side project which is a recipe web app for Jain Food. Unfortunately I had to sift through multiple recipe apis to get a decent number of recipes. Check out this list of recipe api. You may find it useful.
I'm a huge fan of medical mushrooms and can honestly say that it has changed my life. The quality and freshness of their products cannot be matched, and the health benefits have been incredibly beneficial. I have tried other medical mushrooms, this is a very nice experience. I recommend them to anyone looking to improve their health!
The UI design is fantastic!