Introduction:
Finding parking in urban areas can often feel like a never-ending challenge. With limited availability, high demand, and inefficient management, drivers are left frustrated and stressed. Space-Ease offers a simple yet innovative solution - connecting parking spot owners with those in need of parking, transforming the experience for everyone involved.
Through Space-Ease, users can easily browse, book, and manage parking spots in real time via an interactive map, creating a seamless and efficient process that redefines parking in busy cities.
Tech Stack: Building the Solution
When selecting our tech stack, we focused on choosing technologies that would enable us to deliver a seamless, reliable, and efficient solution to manage parking spots.
Framework and Core Development
For the core framework, we chose Next.js, which suited our needs by handling both the frontend and backend. With React for building the UI, we built a responsive experience. Next.js also streamlined our authentication and database interactions, and with Vercel integration, enabled smooth, minimal-config deployment.
UI and Layout
Considering the main screen of the app is a map, integrating Google Maps was an obvious choice. It provided real-time, location-based functionality and an intuitive way for users to explore parking availability. With the core feature being the map, we chose Google Maps for real-time location-based functionality. For the app's layout, Shadcn/UI played a central role, providing a collection of customizable, accessible components. Along with Tailwind CSS and Radix UI, we focused on a mobile first experience.
State Management and Data Handling
For managing the dynamic nature of parking spot availability and user interactions, we turned to React Query. It simplified data fetching and caching, ensuring that our app was always displaying the most up-to-date information without unnecessary re-fetching. React Query also made it easy to handle background data synchronization, so users always had real-time access to the latest available parking spots.
Database and Backend
For the database, we opted for Supabase, a backend-as-a-service platform that integrates easily with PostgreSQL. Using PostGIS with PostgreSQL allowed us to store and query geospatial data efficiently, which was crucial for the location-based features of the app. Prisma was our ORM of choice, providing a type-safe and flexible interface for interacting with our database, making it easier to manage complex queries and data relationships.
Conclusion
The idea behind this project was to solve the common urban problem of finding parking in crowded cities. We aimed to create a solution that not only provides real-time parking spot availability but also improves the overall user experience through an intuitive, map-based interface. The process involved carefully selecting modern technologies that would allow us to build a responsive, scalable platform - integrating real-time data and location services efficiently.
As an open-source project, I’m excited to continue improving it with feedback and contributions from the community. There are always ways to enhance the app - whether by adding more features, refining user experience, or optimizing performance. I welcome any suggestions, bug reports, or ideas for further development!
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