Product Hunt Finder Web Application

Sandeep Sharma

Verified

Web Developer

Node.js

Replit

Tailwind CSS

Electronics

🚀 Product Hunt Finder

A comprehensive web application that discovers, enriches, and manages Product Hunt products and their makers. This tool automates the process of finding promising products and their creators, then helps you connect with them through an intuitive admin interface.

✨ What It Does

Product Hunt Finder is a complete pipeline for discovering and managing Product Hunt products:

🔍 Auto-Discovery: Fetches the latest products from Product Hunt RSS feeds by category

🔗 LinkedIn Enrichment: Automatically finds LinkedIn profiles for product makers using intelligent search

👨‍💼 Admin Review: Provides a clean interface to review and approve/reject makers

📊 Google Sheets Export: Pushes approved makers to Google Sheets for outreach and follow-up

📈 Analytics: Tracks statistics and provides insights into your discovery pipeline

🎯 Key Features

RSS Feed Processing

Multi-Category Support: AI, Developer Tools, SaaS, and more

Automatic Scheduling: Can be triggered manually or via cron jobs

Duplicate Prevention: Smart detection to avoid processing the same products twice

Robust Error Handling: Graceful failure handling with detailed logging

LinkedIn Profile Enrichment

Intelligent Search: Uses Google Search API to find LinkedIn profiles

Smart Matching: Advanced algorithms to match maker names with LinkedIn profiles

Caching System: Prevents duplicate searches and optimizes API usage

Fallback Support: Works with or without external APIs

Admin Panel

Authentication: Secure access with username/password or token-based auth

Review Interface: Clean, responsive UI for reviewing makers

Bulk Actions: Approve or reject makers with loading indicators

Filtering: Filter by status (pending/approved/rejected) and category

Mobile Responsive: Works seamlessly on desktop and mobile devices

Google Sheets Integration

Automatic Export: Approved makers are automatically added to Google Sheets

Customizable Fields: Choose which data to export

Real-time Sync: Immediate updates when makers are approved

Error Recovery: Handles API failures gracefully

Modern UI

Tailwind CSS: Clean, modern design with utility-first styling

Responsive Design: Optimized for all screen sizes

Interactive Elements: Loading states, hover effects, and smooth transitions

Accessibility: WCAG compliant with proper semantic markup

🛠️ Tech Stack

Frontend

React 18: Modern React with hooks and functional components

Tailwind CSS: Utility-first CSS framework for rapid UI development

React Router: Client-side routing for single-page application

Responsive Design: Mobile-first approach with breakpoint optimization

Backend

Node.js: JavaScript runtime for server-side logic

Express: Web framework for API endpoints and middleware

JSON File Storage: Simple, lightweight data persistence

SerpAPI: Google Search integration for LinkedIn discovery

Google Sheets API: Direct integration for data export

Deployment

Replit: Cloud-based development and hosting platform

Replit Autoscale: Automatic scaling based on demand

Environment Variables: Secure configuration management

Cron Jobs: Scheduled tasks via cron-job.org integration

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

Node.js 16+

npm or yarn

SerpAPI account (optional but recommended)

Google Cloud Platform account for Sheets integration

Replit account for deployment

Local Development

Clone the repository

git clone <repository-url>
cd ProductHuntFinder

Install dependencies

# Install server dependencies
npm install

# Install client dependencies
cd client
npm install
cd ..

Configure environment variables

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env with your configuration:

# Authentication
ADMIN_USERNAME=admin
ADMIN_PASSWORD=your-secure-password
AUTH_TOKEN=your-secure-token-123

# APIs
SERPAPI_API_KEY=your_serpapi_key_here
GOOGLE_SHEETS_ID=your_google_sheets_id
PRODUCT_HUNT_API_TOKEN=your_product_hunt_api_token

# Google Cloud (base64 encoded service account JSON)
GOOGLE_CLOUD_CREDENTIALS=your_base64_encoded_service_account_json

# Server Configuration
NODE_ENV=development
PORT=5000
RATE_LIMIT=100

RATE_LIMIT sets the maximum number of requests per minute (default: 100).

Start the development servers

Terminal 1 (Backend):

npm run dev

Terminal 2 (Frontend):

cd client
npm start

Access the application

Frontend: http://localhost:3001

Backend API: http://localhost:5000

Replit Deployment

Import to Replit

Go to Replit

Click "Create Repl" → "Import from GitHub"

Enter your repository URL

Configure Secrets

Go to your Repl → Secrets (lock icon)

Add all environment variables from .env.example

Start the application

Click the "Run" button

Your app will be available at https://your-repl-name.your-username.repl.co

🔧 Configuration Guide

Setting Up Product Hunt API (Upvotes)

Create an app at Product Hunt Apps.

Generate a personal API token.

Add PRODUCT_HUNT_API_TOKEN to your environment.

Setting Up SerpAPI (LinkedIn Search)

Get your API key from the dashboard

Add SERPAPI_API_KEY=your_key_here to your environment

Free tier includes 100 searches/month

Setting Up Google Sheets Integration

Create a Google Cloud Project

Go to Google Cloud Console

Create a new project or select existing one

Enable Google Sheets API

Navigate to "APIs & Services" → "Library"

Search for "Google Sheets API" and enable it

Create Service Account

Go to "APIs & Services" → "Credentials"

Click "Create Credentials" → "Service Account"

Download the JSON key file

Configure Environment

# Base64 encode your service account JSON
cat service-account.json | base64 -w 0

# Add to .env
GOOGLE_CLOUD_CREDENTIALS=your_base64_encoded_json

Create Google Sheet

Create a new Google Sheet

Share it with your service account email

Copy the Sheet ID from the URL

Add GOOGLE_SHEETS_ID=your_sheet_id to environment

Authentication Setup

The app supports two authentication methods:

Username/Password (Default)

ADMIN_USERNAME=admin
ADMIN_PASSWORD=your-secure-password

Token-based (Alternative)

AUTH_TOKEN=your-secure-token-123

📖 How to Use

1. Fetching Products

Manual Trigger

Visit /admin and click "Fetch Latest Products"

Or make a POST request to /api/cron/fetch

Automated with Cron

Set up a cron job at cron-job.org

Schedule: POST https://your-app.com/api/cron/fetch

Recommended: Every 4-6 hours

2. Accessing Admin Panel

Navigate to https://your-app.com/admin

Review pending makers

Approve or reject based on your criteria

3. Managing Data

Filter by Status

Pending: Newly discovered makers awaiting review

Approved: Makers you've approved for outreach

Rejected: Makers you've decided not to pursue

Filter by Category

AI: Artificial intelligence products

Developer Tools: Tools for developers

SaaS: Software as a Service products

4. Google Sheets Export

Approved makers are automatically exported to your configured Google Sheet with:

Product name and description

Maker name and LinkedIn profile

Product Hunt link

Category and publish date

Approval timestamp

🔌 API Reference

RSS & Discovery

Method Endpoint Description POST /api/cron/fetch Fetch latest products from all categories POST /api/cron/fetch/:category Fetch products from specific category GET /api/products Get all products (supports filtering) GET /api/stats Get database statistics

Admin Management

Method Endpoint Description GET /api/makers Get all makers (authenticated) POST /api/makers/:id/approve Approve a maker (authenticated) POST /api/makers/:id/reject Reject a maker (authenticated)

LinkedIn Enrichment

Method Endpoint Description POST /api/cron/enrich Run LinkedIn enrichment for pending makers GET /api/cron/enrich/status Get enrichment cache status POST /api/cron/enrich/clear-cache Clear enrichment cache

System

Method Endpoint Description GET /api/health Health check endpoint GET / System info and status

📊 Monitoring & Analytics

Dashboard Statistics

The main dashboard shows:

Total Products: All discovered products

Categories: Number of different categories

Pending Review: Makers awaiting your decision

Approved: Makers you've approved for outreach

Admin Panel Metrics

Real-time counts by status (pending/approved/rejected)

Category breakdown

Recent activity and processing logs

API Monitoring

# Check system health
curl https://your-app.com/api/health

# Get detailed statistics
curl https://your-app.com/api/stats

# Monitor enrichment status
curl https://your-app.com/api/cron/enrich/status

🎯 Best Practices

Scheduling Recommendations

RSS Fetching: Every 4-6 hours during business days

LinkedIn Enrichment: Runs automatically after RSS fetch

Manual Review: Check admin panel daily for new pending makers

Data Management

Regular Backups: Export your Google Sheet periodically

Cache Clearing: Clear enrichment cache monthly to refresh stale data

Status Hygiene: Regularly review and process pending makers

Performance Optimization

API Limits: SerpAPI free tier allows 100 searches/month

Rate Limiting: Built-in delays prevent API overload

Caching: Automatic caching reduces redundant API calls

Error Handling: Graceful degradation ensures uptime

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Authentication Failed"

Check your username/password or token in environment variables

Ensure credentials match your configuration

"LinkedIn Enrichment Not Working"

Verify SERPAPI_API_KEY is set correctly

Check API quota usage at SerpAPI dashboard

Review logs for specific error messages

"Google Sheets Export Failed"

Verify service account JSON is properly base64 encoded

Ensure sheet is shared with service account email

Check Google Sheets API is enabled in your project

"No Products Found"

Run manual RSS fetch: POST /api/cron/fetch

Check RSS feed availability

Review server logs for fetch errors

Debug Endpoints

# Check enriched products
curl https://your-app.com/api/debug/enriched

# View system configuration
curl https://your-app.com

# Test authentication
curl -H "Authorization: Basic base64(username:password)" https://your-app.com/api/makers

🚀 Deployment Notes

Replit-Specific Setup

Secrets Configuration

Use Replit Secrets for all environment variables

Never commit sensitive data to your repository

Secrets are automatically loaded as environment variables

Scheduled Pings

Set up cron-job.org to ping your app

Prevents Replit from sleeping during inactivity

Recommended: ping every 30 minutes during active hours

File Persistence

Data is stored in JSON files in the /data directory

Files persist across Repl restarts

Consider periodic backups for important data

Production Considerations

Security

Use strong passwords and tokens

Enable HTTPS (automatic on Replit)

Regularly rotate API keys

Monitor access logs

Scaling

Replit Autoscale handles traffic spikes automatically

Monitor API usage to avoid quota exhaustion

Consider upgrading SerpAPI plan for higher volume

Monitoring

Set up uptime monitoring (UptimeRobot, Pingdom)

Monitor API error rates

Track Google Sheets export success rates

🤝 Contributing

Fork the repository

Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)

Make your changes

Test thoroughly

Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')

Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)

Open a Pull Request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🎉 What's Next?

This application is production-ready and includes all major features for Product Hunt discovery and maker management. Future enhancements could include:

Advanced Analytics: Deeper insights into product trends and maker patterns

Team Collaboration: Multi-user support with role-based access

Integration Ecosystem: Webhooks and API integrations with CRM systems

AI-Powered Scoring: Automatic scoring of products and makers based on criteria

Advanced Filtering: More sophisticated search and filtering options

Built with ❤️ for the Product Hunt community

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Posted Sep 25, 2025

Developed a web app for discovering and managing Product Hunt products and makers.

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Sep 10, 2025 - Ongoing