Creating HiddenGems was a rewarding journey, aiming to connect music enthusiasts with lesser-known tracks using the power of Spotify's vast library. Here's an overview of how I developed this lil project.
Project Overview
HiddenGems is a full-stack web application where users can discover and share obscure songs, link their Spotify accounts, and interact with a community of music lovers. The app features:
User Authentication: Secure login and account management using Flask-Login and Flask-Bcrypt.
Spotify Integration: Users can link their Spotify accounts to fetch playlists, liked songs, and other personal data.
Music Discovery: Displaying lesser-known songs and albums, allowing users to explore new music.
Community Interaction: Users can view each other's profiles, share recommendations.
Backend Development
The backend was built using Flask, with SQLAlchemy for database management. Key components include:
User Management: Models for User, SpotifyAccount, Song, and LikedSong, with relationships defined to manage user data and Spotify information.
API Integration: Routes to handle Spotify authentication, fetching user data, and saving relevant music information in the database.
CRUD Operations: Full CRUD actions for managing user profiles, liked songs, and reviews.
Frontend Development
The frontend, developed with React, focuses on a user-friendly interface for seamless interaction. Major elements include:
Authentication Forms: Using Formik for form handling and validation.
Profile Pages: Displaying user information, favorite songs, and artists with intuitive navigation.
Music Discovery Pages: Featuring lists of obscure songs and detailed views for each song and artist.
Search Functionality: Allowing users to search for songs and artists within the platform.
Challenges and Solutions
One of the significant challenges was handling the OAuth flow with Spotify. I ensured secure token management and seamless data retrieval by storing access and refresh tokens securely in the database. Another challenge was optimizing the loading time when fetching and displaying large amounts of data, which I mitigated by implementing efficient querying and caching strategies.
Future Enhancements
To further enhance HiddenGems, I plan to introduce more social features, such as user comments and collaborative playlists. I'm also integrate machine learning algorithms to provide personalized music recommendations.
Creating HiddenGems was a fulfilling experience that helped me learn many new things, combining the excitement of music discovery with the technical challenges of web development. It was definitely one of the most technoligically rewarding projects I've done.
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