Pet a Dog

Inspiration

To be 100% honest, the app idea itself wasn't the driving factor behind it. In reality, I was interested in learning how backend development works so I decided to use this opportunity to learn more about appwrite, the server management software. I also like dogs <3

What it does

This app creates a unique user when you sign in based on the name provided. That information is then saved in the server for future sessions. Once in, you have the option to upload your location to the server (I'm a Dog) or download all the dogs locations from the databse (Find me a Dog).

How we built it

I used an app development software called Flutter. It operates on the dart programming language and, even though the app was primarly tested on android, enables simultaneous co-platform development. For the server side I used Docker desktop combined with appwrite.

Challenges we ran into

The biggest problem was without a doubt, time. Since I was the only one working in this project it was hard to work on both the frontend and backend development for the app. Since I already had some experience with frontend developemnt, that part of the project went realitvely smoothly. On the other hand, this was my first time wokring backend with servers, api, authentificaiton, accounts, and sessions that figuiging all of that out deffinetly took the greatest portion of my time.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I got the server to work! Near the end, I wasn't sure if the client to server communication would be possible but thankfully I was able to figure it out right on time. Being able to get back that 200 response code instead of the 404 or 401 really gave me a boost of adrenaline that helped me finish what was left.

What we learned

I learned how backend server comunication works and how to then use APIs in order to connect different clients to the database.

What's next for Pet a Dog

Originally I wanted to display the locations on a google map, but that would've taken too much time for a one man team. Even though I doubt there will be an updated version of Pet A Dog, the knowledge I gained by making it made it extremely rewarding.