Spirit-Finder.com

I architected and developed Spirit-Finder.com, the world's most comprehensive spirits database and community platform, cataloging over 100,000 spirits with advanced AI-powered features and global community capabilities.

Frontend Development I built a modern, responsive frontend using Next.js 15 with the App Router, leveraging React 19 and TypeScript for type safety. The UI utilizes Tailwind CSS with shadcn/ui components to create a consistent, accessible design system. I implemented Redux Toolkit for state management alongside TanStack Query for efficient data fetching, and integrated comprehensive internationalization support for 40+ languages using i18next.

Backend Development The backend centers around a robust Django REST Framework API with PostgreSQL as the primary database. I implemented custom JWT-based authentication with social login integration, building the entire auth system from scratch without relying on third-party plugins. The platform includes sophisticated user management, forum functionality, comprehensive review systems, and automated affiliate marketing integration with Amazon, eBay, Belboon, and AWIN.

AI-Powered Features I developed the AromaAI recommendation bot that uses pgvector for semantic similarity searches, integrating with OpenAI's function calling capabilities to provide intelligent spirit recommendations based on user preferences and flavor profiles. The AI system analyzes aroma characteristics and user behavior patterns to deliver personalized suggestions that help users discover new spirits aligned with their tastes.

Search & Discovery The platform features lightning-fast search powered by MeiliSearch, providing sub-100ms response times with typo tolerance, faceted filtering, and real-time autocomplete across the entire spirits database. I implemented sophisticated ranking algorithms that prioritize expert reviews and utilize weighted Bayesian averaging to prevent rating manipulation while highlighting trusted reviewers.

Rust Performance Components I built specialized Rust applications to handle performance-critical operations: one for automated database duplicate detection using OpenAI API calls to intelligently identify duplicate spirit entries, and another for automated database backup processing that uploads compressed backups to DigitalOcean Spaces and sends notification emails via Mailgun.

The platform serves as a complete ecosystem for spirits enthusiasts, featuring detailed product pages with comprehensive metadata, advanced aroma and property identification systems, community-driven reviews with expert verification, personal collection management, and seamless purchase integration through automated affiliate partnerships. The administrative system includes custom dashboards for MeiliSearch index management, real-time system monitoring, and comprehensive content moderation tools.