Mikveh Management System
Full-stack web application for managing mikveh operations with mobile registration and automated reporting
The Story
The Problem
For years, I watched my father manage our community's mikveh. Every month, on a Friday – when time is most precious – he'd sit for an hour manually compiling Excel reports from handwritten logs to send to the religious council.
It was tedious, time-consuming, and completely unnecessary.
The Moment
After learning full-stack development, I had that lightbulb moment: "This is so simple to solve – I can't just leave things as they are."
This became my first real full-stack project, and the beginning of understanding what it means to build something people actually use.
The Journey
The technical challenges were real – it was my first time building a production system. But the harder challenge was different: How do I make something so reliable that my father will trust it? How do I ensure people will actually use it?
I learned that building software isn't just about code that works – it's about code that people can depend on.
Technologies Used
Key Features
- Mobile-optimized registration interface with QR code support
- Intelligent family search with auto-complete (3+ character minimum)
- Quick check-in system for adults and children
- Secure admin authentication with JWT tokens
- Real-time dashboard displaying today's entries
Technical Highlights
- Monorepo architecture with npm workspaces for better code organization
- RESTful API design following best practices
- Environment-based configuration for development and production
- Automated admin setup script for initial deployment
- MongoDB Atlas integration for cloud database management
Challenges & Solutions
Data Integrity & Validation
Implemented comprehensive validation on both client and server side. Used Mongoose schemas with strict validation rules, custom validators for Hebrew text, and transaction support for critical operations to ensure data consistency.
Security Concerns
Applied multiple security layers including: bcrypt for password hashing, JWT for stateless authentication, Helmet.js for HTTP headers security, express-rate-limit for DDoS protection, CORS configuration, and input sanitization to prevent injection attacks.
Performance Optimization
Implemented React Query for efficient data caching and synchronization, MongoDB indexing on frequently queried fields (family names, dates), and optimized database queries using aggregation pipelines for report generation.
Impact & Results
For my father:
That hour every month? Gone. He can spend Friday preparing for Shabbat instead of wrestling with spreadsheets.
For the community:
The data revealed patterns we never saw before – when people actually use the mikveh, when it's quiet, when they need special access. This led to adjusting opening hours to better serve the community.
For me:
I learned that the best technology doesn't just solve problems – it gives people time back for what matters.