A local C2C platform for safely renting and sharing unused items
Designed and structured the initial database schema to support multimedia item listings and location metadata, managed schema migrations and data type revisions as requirements evolved, and contributed to CRUD implementation and functional testing to ensure stable item upload workflows.
Details
Product Walkthrough
A step-by-step look at how the product works through real interactions.
01
Browse & Discover Items
Built a mobile-first browsing system that filters items by category, enables list-based exploration, and allows users to view details and add items to the cart
Background
Why This System Was Built
The motivation behind creating this system and the key problems it was designed to solve for real users.
Many people owned items that were only used occasionally, but renting them out locally was often inconvenient and unclear. Most existing marketplaces were designed primarily for selling, not short-term renting, making it difficult to define rental periods, pricing, and exchange details. As a result, listing rental items and finding short-term options felt slow and unnecessarily complicated, especially on mobile devices.
- Rental-first marketplace designed for short-term item sharing
- Structured listing flow with rental period, pricing, and condition setup
- Category-driven browsing to quickly find rentable items nearby
- Real-time listing updates so new rental items appear instantly
- Mobile-first experience enabling fast local renting and exchanges
Technical Overview
System Architecture
A structured view of how the frontend, backend, and database components connect to deliver a seamless product experience.
Frontend
- EJS Templates
- SCSS
- Mobile-first UI
API Layer
- Express.js API Routes
- Listing Logic
- Socket.IO Messaging
- Data Validation
Database
- MongoDB
- Prisma ORM
- Listing & User Data
Platform
- Render Deployment
- Session Authentication
- Nodemailer
- Multer Uploads
- CI/CD (GitHub)
- Agile (Jira)
Next Steps
Future Improvements
Planned enhancements and ideas that could further improve usability, performance, and overall user experience.
Integrated Payments & Deposits
Support secure payments, deposits, and refunds to make rental and purchase transactions more reliable.
In-App Messaging
Provide chat-based coordination for pickup, exchange, and return details between users.
Trust & Safety Features
Strengthen the marketplace with ratings, reviews, and verified user profiles.
Availability Scheduling
Add booking dates and item availability controls so users can manage rental periods more clearly.