Lecture on Online Banking Platform and Its Implementation 💻

Introduction

• Discussing limitations of traditional financial trackers (like to-do apps).
• Introduce Horizon: A fully functional online banking platform we will build.
  • Connects to multiple bank accounts.
  • Displays transactions in real time.
  • Allows money transfers between users with ultra-secure SSR authentication.
  • Features a comprehensive home dashboard, transaction history, and payment transfer functionalities.
• Technologies: Next.js (SSR, routing, layouts), TypeScript, React Hook Form, Zod, Tailwind CSS, and Sentry.
• Third-party services: Plaid for banking and Dwolla for payments.
• Worldwide usability.
• Emphasis on open-source codebase and teaching methodologies.

Course Outline

Homepage

• Shows balance, connected credit cards, transaction list, and spending categories.

All Connected Banks Page

• Displays list of all connected bank accounts and transaction history with filtering options.

Payment Transfer Page

• Allows real transfers to real bank accounts and other accounts on the platform.

Technologies and Tools Introduced

Scroll Through Technologies

• Next.js: Server Side Rendering, group routes, nested layouts, server actions, etc.
• TypeScript: For type safety.
• React Hook Form & Zod: Advanced and reusable form management.
• Plaid: Sandbox mode for banking functionalities.
• Tailwind CSS & shadcn/tailwind: For modern UI, fully responsive.
• Sentry: Monitoring software for performance and security.

Key Features Implemented

Sign Up and Authentication

• Detailed signup page requiring real information, powered by Plaid.
• Multi-page onboarding process to link bank account post-registration.

Dashboard

• Dynamic content displaying real-time bank account information and transactions.
• Personalization with user-specific greetings and dynamic data.

Bank Account Integration with Plaid

• Instructions to create development and production accounts on Plaid.
• Real-time connections to bank accounts using Plaid's API.

Advanced UI Components with Tailwind and shadcn

• Custom, responsive components including forms, buttons, and dialogs.

Secure and Scalable Backend with Appwrite

• Managing authentication, databases, functions, storage, and more with Appwrite.

Charts and Visualizations

• Integration with Chart.js for displaying financial data in interactive charts.

Error Monitoring and Session Replays

• Implementing Sentry for monitoring errors and improving security.
• Session Replay for tracking user interactions to debug issues more effectively.

Dynamic Account Management

• Real-time data fetching and updating using server actions in Next.js.
• Displaying and managing multiple bank accounts dynamically.

Transaction History and Payment Transfers

• Detailed transaction history with filtering options.
• Secure fund transfers between accounts via Dwolla integration.

Detailed Walkthroughs

Implementing Plaid Integration

• Setting up Plaid configurations.
• Using react-plaid-link for secure bank account connections.
• Server-side handling of Plaid tokens and public token exchanges.

Creating and Managing Users with Appwrite

• User signup and authentication workflows.
• Database schemas for users and bank accounts.

Secure Fund Transfers with Dwolla

• Setting up Dwolla for payment processing.
• Integration with Plaid for seamless money transfers.

Extensive Error Handling and Monitoring Setup with Sentry

• Setting up Sentry for capturing and diagnosing errors.
• Monitoring detailed session replays to understand user issues.

UI Implementations using Tailwind CSS and shadcn

• Creation of reusable and responsive UI components.
• Utilization of Tailwind CSS for consistent design and styling.

Conclusion

• Summarizing the capabilities of the Horizon platform built using modern web technologies.
• Highlighting the importance of real-world applications, secure data management, and scalability in web development.
• Encouragement to continue exploring advanced features and tools to enhance the application further.