Leafy Delight

Problem

Demonstrate full-stack ownership of a commerce flow: browse → cart → checkout → persisted orders, not a static marketing page.

Approach

• ▸Next.js storefront with product catalog and cart state (Redux)
• ▸MongoDB for products and order persistence
• ▸PayPal integration for checkout handoff
• ▸Admin/product flows for managing catalog data

Decisions

• ▸Redux for predictable cart/order state across pages
• ▸PayPal sandbox-friendly checkout for safe public demos
• ▸Deploy on Vercel with Atlas as the database

Challenges

• ▸Keeping checkout env vars and DB credentials out of the client
• ▸Handling cart persistence across refreshes
• ▸Clear demo vs production payment posture on Hobby hosting

Results

• ▸Live storefront URL for recruiter click-throughs
• ▸End-to-end narrative from UI to payments to persistence
• ▸Reusable full-stack template for commerce demos