Bluetick

• Developed responsive website for Discord bot management, actively used by 6 servers with over 2,000 members each, incorporating user feedback through Agile-like approach.

• Ensured scalability and high uptime by deploying on AWS EC2 with Docker containers, optimizing MySQL database structures and caching mechanisms.

• Reduced cloud database costs by 80% by self-hosting MySQL server within an EC2 instance, enabling efficient resource utilization.

• Configured secure cross-domain communication, managed DNS settings and configurations for 4 subdomains hosting 4 microservices powering the project.

• Implemented caching strategies for non-personal Discord data, optimizing performance and reducing excessive token usage.

• Developed a functional and responsive website: Leveraging technologies like Next.js, NextAuth, tailwindcss, shadcn/ui, and TypeScript.

• Introduced cache to increase performance: Reduced unnecessary database requests by caching data in the frontend.

• Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) configuration: Enabled secure cross-domain communication for APIs.

• Optimized MySQL database structures and caching: Reduced cloud database costs by 20% and improved backend performance.

• Built and deployed applications using Docker containers: Focused on Node.js for backend development, enhancing portability and scalability.

• Handled OAuth authentication flows and securely managed user tokens: Implemented secure user authentication and token management systems.

• Configured backend services on AWS EC2 & VPC: Deployed and managed backend APIs and services on cloud platforms.

• Managed DNS settings and domain/subdomain configurations: Configured domains for hosting the web application and services.

• Ensured high availability and uptime through scalable deployment strategies: Implemented strategies to maintain service reliability and scalability.

• Collaborated with server owners: Understood user requirements to ensure the infrastructure met the needs of the Discord Bot and management platform.

• Switched from using database services to self-hosting MySQL database on EC2: Reduced database storage costs by more than 80%

Bluetick originated from my desire to create a Discord bot for my server, where my friends and I could enjoy entertainment and engage in casual conversations. Inspired by bots managing gaming servers, I started with a simple Python bot using the nextcord library. As the bot grew with new features based on feedback from my group of active users, I transitioned to the more actively maintained DiscordJS library to keep up with the Discord API updates. However, JavaScript's unpredictable errors proved challenging, leading me to migrate to TypeScript, a decision I've never regretted.

With the bot's expanding feature set, managing everything through Discord commands became increasingly complex. Drawing inspiration from well-established bots like Dyno, which had a dedicated website for comprehensive control, I recognized the need for a dedicated web application to streamline bot management across multiple servers.

Bluetick evolved into a full-fledged web application built with modern technologies like Next.js, NextAuth, tailwindcss, shadcn/ui, and TypeScript for the frontend, complemented by NestJS, TypeScript, and Rust for the backend.

The development journey involved iterative phases, including initially using React and Material-UI for the frontend, before migrating to Next.js with tailwindcss and shadcn/ui for more customizable UI components. The bot's features grew based on current user requests and popular features from other bots that I wanted to develop myself.

Bluetick now provides Discord server owners and admins with a user-friendly platform to manage their servers and enjoy a range of entertainment-related features, combining a robust Discord bot with a feature-rich web application.