Centralized client state
Redux provides a predictable place for authentication and shared application state instead of threading state through unrelated component trees.
Architecture & Engineering Case Study
House Hunt
A property discovery experience built around practical CRUD flows
A MERN real-estate application with authentication, Google OAuth, property listings, search-oriented UI, Redux state, and MongoDB persistence.
house-hunt.krchandan.online
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ReactReduxNode.jsExpressMongoDBJWTGoogle OAuth
01 / OVERVIEW
Overview
House Hunt is a full-stack real-estate application that lets users authenticate, create and manage property listings, and browse available properties through a single web experience. It was built as a practical end-to-end MERN project covering frontend state, API design, authentication, and database-backed CRUD operations.
02 / CHALLENGE
The Problem
Property listing projects quickly become more than a collection of cards: users need identity, listing ownership, predictable create/update/delete flows, and a frontend that keeps state synchronized with the API.
03 / SOLUTION
The Solution
House Hunt combines a React interface and Redux-managed client state with a Node/Express API and MongoDB persistence. Authentication establishes user ownership so listing-management actions can be tied to the correct account.
04 / FEATURES
Key Features
Email/password authentication
Google OAuth sign-in
Create, update, and delete property listings
User-owned listing management
Property browsing interface
Centralized client state with Redux
05 / ARCHITECTURE
System Architecture
React client→
Redux state→
Express REST API→
JWT / OAuth authentication→
MongoDB persistence
06 / DECISIONS
Technical Decisions
Ownership-aware listing APIs
Listing mutations are associated with an authenticated user so editing and deletion are not treated as anonymous CRUD operations.
07 / HARD PROBLEMS
Challenges Solved
CHALLENGE 01
Synchronizing authentication and UI state
The Problem
The interface needs to react consistently when a user signs in, signs out, or completes an OAuth flow.
The Approach
Authentication state is centralized and used to drive protected actions and account-aware UI.
CHALLENGE 02
Keeping CRUD ownership clear
The Problem
A property listing should not be modifiable simply because its database ID is known.
The Approach
Mutation flows connect listings to their owner and require authenticated requests for management operations.
08 / RETROSPECTIVE
Key Takeaways
- Full-stack CRUD becomes more useful when ownership rules are designed with it.
- OAuth adds frontend and backend state transitions that need to be handled deliberately.
- Shared client state is most useful when it represents genuinely shared application concerns.