Top Food Markets in London
Top Food Markets in London is a comprehensive recommendation platform that showcases the vibrant culinary landscape of London's diverse food market scene. This project, contributing 50% to my university module grade, demonstrates advanced full-stack development skills using the complete MERN technology stack.
The platform empowers users to discover, explore, and rate London's finest food markets, from historic Borough Market to trendy pop-up locations. The recommendation system analyzes user preferences, ratings, and reviews to suggest markets that match individual tastes and dietary requirements.
Built with MongoDB for flexible document storage, the database efficiently handles varied market information including location data, vendor details, cuisine types, opening hours, and user-generated content. The NoSQL approach enables rapid development and easy schema evolution as new market features are added.
The Express.js backend provides a robust, scalable API with comprehensive authentication, data validation, and error handling. RESTful endpoints ensure efficient data transfer while maintaining security standards appropriate for user-generated content and personal information management.
The React frontend delivers an intuitive, responsive user interface optimized for both desktop and mobile experiences. Component-based architecture ensures consistent design patterns, efficient rendering, and maintainable code structure that supports rapid feature development and testing.
Node.js powers the server-side logic with asynchronous processing capabilities that handle multiple concurrent users efficiently. The runtime environment enables seamless JavaScript development across the entire application stack, ensuring consistency and optimal performance.
The normalized database design ensures data integrity, eliminates redundancy, and supports complex queries for market discovery and recommendation algorithms. Careful attention to database optimization results in fast API responses and smooth user experiences even with large datasets.
User experience features include advanced search and filtering capabilities, interactive maps showing market locations, detailed vendor information, photo galleries, user reviews and ratings, and personalized recommendation feeds based on individual preferences and visit history.