Luxury Coffee
Project Blog post
1. Introduction
The purpose of our "Luxury Coffee Online" project
was to provide an e-commerce platform for a high-end coffee retailer, enabling
customers to browse, purchase, and track the delivery of their coffee orders.
It is a solo project, my primary focus was on integrating real-time shipment
tracking with major shipping providers like UPS and FedEx, a crucial feature
for enhancing the user experience and building trust in our service.
2. A Personal Story
I enjoys riding bicycles, so it was an easy project focus to
agree upon. For me, bicycling has always been a passion that connects me to my
roots. I grew up in a small North-of-african town surrounded by farms and
forests, and the only way I could visit my best friend in the next town over
was by riding my bicycle. On weekends and holiday breaks, I would get up at the
break of dawn and bike for over an hour to her place. The road I took was lined
by corn fields on both sides, with the sun rising on the left. Whenever I bike
in the city now, it brings back these hours I spent chasing the brightening
horizon at dawn, with the smell of the harvest around me. I hope that by making
bicycle route planning more accessible through our project, more people,
especially city-dwellers, can learn the joy that bicycling can bring to their
lives.
3. Accomplishments and Architecture
To provide our users with accurate and up-to-date delivery
information, we integrated real-time shipment tracking with the APIs.
For the backend, we chose to use Django, a robust Python web
framework, due to its comprehensive features and the team's familiarity with
it. This allowed us to quickly build the middleware that handled API requests
and responses, standardized the data from different shipping providers, and
managed the caching mechanism to comply with rate limits.
One of the key features we implemented was the ability for
users to view the current status of their orders and track their packages
directly from their account dashboard. This was achieved by seamlessly
integrating the real-time shipment data, providing customers with a smooth and
transparent order fulfillment experience.
Additionally, we focused on ensuring the reliability of the
shipment tracking feature by implementing extensive error handling and fallback
mechanisms. This allowed us to gracefully handle scenarios such as network
failures or temporary unavailability of real-time data, ensuring that users
could still access the last known status of their orders.
4. Overcoming a Technical Challenge
One of the most difficult technical challenges I faced
during this project was integrating the real-time shipment tracking with the.
The initial hurdle was handling the different authentication methods required
by each provider. To address this, I developed separate authentication modules
for each service, thoroughly testing the token refresh and request
authentication processes.
Another challenge was ensuring data consistency. The
responses differences in status codes, delivery estimates, and error messages.
To unify this data, I created a mapping system that translated the various
responses into a standardized format for our application's database schema.
This involved writing custom parsers and validators to handle the nuances of
each provider's API.
However, the most significant obstacle was the API rate
limits imposed by UPS and FedEx. Frequent polling for tracking updates led to
requests being throttled, which threatened the real-time nature of the feature.
To mitigate this, I implemented a caching mechanism that stored tracking
updates locally and only queried the shipping providers at intervals compliant
with their rate limits. This approach reduced the frequency of API calls while
ensuring users received timely updates.
Throughout this process, I encountered several moments of
frustration, particularly when dealing with the inconsistencies and constraints
of the third-party services. However, by remaining persistent and methodical, I
was able to overcome these challenges and successfully integrate the real-time
shipment tracking functionality into our application.
5. Lessons Learned and Future Approaches
This project has taught me several valuable lessons that
will inform my approach to future engineering endeavors:
Technical Takeaways:
- Understanding and accommodating the constraints of
third-party services is crucial for successful integration. Factors like rate
limiting, authentication methods, and data consistency must be carefully
managed.
What I Might Do Differently:
- In the future, I would consider implementing a more
sophisticated queuing system for API requests to better manage rate limits and
provide more granular control over how and when requests are made.
- I would also explore the use of webhooks provided by the
shipping services, which could push updates to our system, reducing the need
for frequent polling.
Personal Growth as an Engineer:
- This project taught me the importance of persistence and
problem-solving. Working through the challenges reinforced my ability to remain
patient and methodical, as well as the value of robust error handling and
extensive testing.
Informing My Engineering Path:
- This experience has highlighted the significance of
understanding the ecosystem in which an application operates, particularly when
integrating with external services. Moving forward, I will approach similar
projects with a stronger emphasis on planning for third-party constraints and
incorporating more resilient design patterns.
Confirming Beliefs:
- This project confirmed my belief in the importance of
thorough documentation and a solid understanding of API specifications for
successful integration. It also affirmed my preference for Django as a backend
framework, as its comprehensive features proved invaluable in handling the
complex data interactions required for this feature.
In conclusion, integrating real-time shipment
tracking was a challenging but immensely rewarding experience. It taught
me valuable lessons about handling third-party integrations, managing API
constraints, and the importance of robust error handling. These lessons
will undoubtedly inform my future projects and contribute to my growth as
an engineer.
Highly experienced and versatile IT professional with over 8 years
of expertise across diverse roles, including IT Engineer, IT Support,
System Administrator, Customer Support Agent, and Document Controller.
-
- Skilled in:
-
- Designing,
configuring, and maintaining network infrastructure, ensuring security and
reliability
- Troubleshooting
network issues, performing maintenance, and implementing security
protocols
- Providing
technical support and training to end-users
- Coordinating IT
projects, managing vendor relationships, and documenting processes
- Performing
administrative tasks such as document control, data entry, and reporting
- Possesses
exceptional customer service, communication, and problem-solving
abilities. Known as a collaborative team player and critical thinker, able
to effectively plan and execute tasks.
-
- Continuously
expanding knowledge and skills through various IT certifications,
including areas like networking, security, and web development.
-
- Active
volunteer with the Green Dream organization, promoting environmental
awareness and sustainability in local communities.
- https://github.com/lagsmana13/Premium-Coffee
Link to the deployed project page
·
linkedin.com/in/hamdi-badreldeen-5378a595
.jpeg)
