Halona Talents

Job Type

Remote, Contract or Full-time

Compensation: Negotiable based on experience and project estimate

Project Overview

We are looking for an experienced full-stack developer to complete and prepare **SGDating**, a modern social dating platform, for production.

An initial working prototype has already been developed. The frontend currently includes user login, profile creation, member discovery, detailed profiles, Tinder-style swiping, messaging screens, distance display, premium-plan UI, and logout.

The selected developer will review the existing codebase, improve its architecture, connect the frontend to the backend, implement the remaining functionality, and prepare the application for secure production deployment.

Technology Stack

* React

* TypeScript

* Next.js

* Vite/Vinext

* Tailwind CSS

* Node.js

* Express

* CommonJS backend architecture

* REST APIs

* Database technology to be selected with the developer

* Git and GitHub

The project is organized into separate `frontend` and `backend` folders.

Responsibilities

* Review the existing frontend and backend code

* Improve the project structure where necessary

* Connect the React frontend to the Node.js API

* Implement secure user registration and login

* Add email verification and password recovery

* Build complete profile creation and editing

* Support multiple profile-photo uploads

* Store users, profiles, photos, likes, matches, and messages in a database

* Implement like, pass, and mutual-match functionality

* Complete Tinder-style swipe behavior

* Implement real-time private messaging

* Display unread-message counts and online status

* Calculate approximate distance between users

* Allow users to switch between kilometers and miles

* Add discovery preferences and member filters

* Implement free and Premium account functionality

* Enforce the daily free-message limit on the backend

* Integrate subscription payments and payment webhooks

* Implement logout and session management

* Add blocking, reporting, moderation, and account-deletion features

* Add server-side validation, authorization, rate limiting, and security protections

* Optimize the application for desktop and mobile devices

* Add automated tests

* Prepare the project for production deployment

* Document installation, configuration, deployment, and maintenance

Current Prototype Features

* Dummy login accepting test credentials

* User profile creation

* Profile-photo upload

* Member discovery page

* Detailed member profiles with multiple photos

* Like functionality

* Tinder-style swipe interface

* Chat interface

* Premium membership presentation

* Five-free-messages-per-day design

* Distance displayed in kilometers or miles

* Logout functionality

* Responsive desktop and mobile design

* Browser-based prototype storage

Some features are currently UI demonstrations and must be connected to secure backend services.

Required Experience

* Strong professional experience with React and Node.js

* Experience building REST APIs with Express

* Strong JavaScript and TypeScript knowledge

* Understanding of CommonJS and ES modules

* Experience designing relational or document databases

* Experience implementing authentication and authorization

* Experience with image uploading and cloud storage

* Experience building real-time chat systems

* Knowledge of secure coding practices

* Experience integrating payment providers such as Stripe

* Experience deploying full-stack web applications

* Strong Git and GitHub skills

* Ability to understand and improve an existing codebase

* Clear written and verbal communication

Preferred Experience

* Previous experience with dating, social networking, or messaging platforms

* WebSocket or Socket.IO experience

* PostgreSQL, MySQL, or MongoDB experience

* AWS, Cloudflare, Vercel, Render, Railway, or similar deployment experience

* Content moderation and user-reporting experience

* Privacy and data-retention implementation experience

* Responsive and accessible UI development

* Automated testing with Jest, Vitest, Playwright, or Cypress

Expected Deliverables

* Completed and functioning frontend and backend

* Secure authentication and user-management system

* Production database and migrations

* Working profile, discovery, matching, swipe, and chat functionality

* Secure image-upload system

* Working Premium subscription and message-limit system

* Administrative or moderation functionality

* Responsive mobile and desktop interface

* Automated tests for important user flows

* Production deployment configuration

* Clean, maintainable source code

* Updated GitHub README and technical documentation

* Setup instructions for local development and production

* Handover documentation

Development Expectations

* Work must be committed regularly through GitHub

* Code should be organized, readable, and documented

* Important decisions should be discussed before major architectural changes

* Sensitive credentials must use environment variables and must never be committed

* Third-party libraries and media must have appropriate licenses

* Security and user privacy must be considered throughout development

* Progress updates and working demonstrations should be provided regularly

When Applying

Please include:

1. A short introduction describing your React and Node.js experience

2. Links to relevant GitHub repositories or completed projects

3. Examples of social, dating, chat, subscription, or marketplace applications you have built

4. Your experience with authentication, real-time messaging, databases, and payments

5. Your preferred database and deployment architecture for this project

Applicants may be asked to review the current GitHub repository and provide a written technical assessment, proposed milestones, timeline, and final cost estimate.