Mini Jira v2 – Architecture Practice Project

Overview

Mini Jira v2 is a personal learning project focused on improving my backend and Next.js architecture skills.

This is not a full Jira clone.
The goal is to practice:

• Clean architecture
• BFF (Backend for Frontend) pattern
• Clear separation of responsibilities
• Runtime validation with Zod
• Server vs Client logic in Next.js

This project helps me understand how modern full-stack applications should be structured.

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Main Architecture Goals

In this version, I focus on:

• UI does not access the database directly
• All data goes through /app/api (BFF layer)
• Clear separation between:
  • HTTP layer
  • Application logic
  • Database access
  • Shared contracts (schemas)

The main goal is writing clean, organized, and maintainable code.

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Technologies Used

• Next.js (App Router, Route Handlers, Server Components)
• React
• TypeScript
• MongoDB
• Mongoose
• Zod (validation and typed schemas)
• Tailwind CSS
• Docker (local database)

Planned improvements

• Authentication (Auth.js)
• Unit tests (Jest)
• E2E tests (Playwright)
• OpenAPI documentation

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Project Structure (Simplified)

app/
  api/
    projects/route.ts      # HTTP endpoint (BFF)
  projects/
    page.tsx               # Server Component (UI)

lib/
  server/
    db/                    # Database connection

  projects/
    server/
      service.ts           # Application logic
      repository.ts        # Database queries
      model.ts             # Mongoose model
    shared/
      schemas.ts           # Output DTOs (Zod)
      inputs.ts            # Input validation
    client/
      api.ts               # Fetch wrapper for BFF

  shared/
    http/
      helpers.ts           # URL helpers

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Layer Responsibilities

Route Handler (app/api)

• Validates input
• Calls the service layer
• Returns structured responses

No business logic here.

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Service Layer

• Handles use cases
• Transforms database data into DTOs
• Calculates pagination metadata

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Repository Layer

• Handles all database queries
• Applies pagination and sorting
• Ensures database connection

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Shared Layer

• Defines API contracts with Zod
• Types are generated from schemas

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Client API Layer

• Wraps fetch calls
• Validates responses
• Works in both Server and Client Components

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Current Features

• Paginated project list
• Sorting (name, createdAt, updatedAt)
• Query parameter handling
• Input validation
• Clean layered architecture

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Running Locally

Requirements

• Node.js
• Docker

Start MongoDB

docker compose up -d

Environment Variables

Create a .env.local file:

MONGODB_URI=mongodb://127.0.0.1:27017/mini-jira

Start the App

npm install
npm run dev