How I built an anonymous feedback platform that people can use to get honest feedbacks and grow.
The name isn't just wordplay—it's the philosophy. FeedForward is feedback that pushes you forward, not criticism that dwells on mistakes.
Here's how I built it: the problem, the architecture, database design, and technical challenges that made this both frustrating and rewarding.
Let's dive in.
The best feedback comes from anonymous sources—course reviews, workplace surveys. People are honest when there's no consequences.
Problem: Most “anonymous” systems aren't truly anonymous. They're tied to accounts or people don't trust them.
I built a platform where anonymity is the foundation, and feedback helps people move forward.
Technical challenges that made this project worth the sleepless nights:
Challenge: Complete anonymity without spam. Messages must be untraceable but the platform stays secure.
Solution: MongoDB stores messages without sender links. NextAuth.js handles sessions without breaking anonymity.
Ever stared at a blank message box? AI helps transform thoughts into constructive feedback.
OpenAI API generates suggestions that encourage growth-oriented feedback, not just criticism.
How do you verify users without compromising future anonymity? Tricky balance.
Nodemailer sends time-limited codes. Real users verified, anonymity preserved.
Privacy is personal. Some want feedback from anyone, others from close circles. Flexible controls without complexity.
User-centric design: intuitive settings, transparent practices, complete control.
The features that turned a simple messaging app into something special:
Picture this: A user wants to see their feedback patterns—how many appreciations vs. suggestions they receive. Simple query? Not quite. Enter MongoDB's aggregation pipelines—the Swiss Army knife of data processing.
The magic? One query processes thousands of documents, joins collections, calculates statistics, and returns insights in milliseconds. No multiple database hits, no complex application logic—just pure MongoDB wizardry.
Ever notice how the theme toggle just works? That's 3 AM debugging paying off. Light mode, dark mode, system preference—it remembers your choice across sessions and never flickers.
The secret sauce? CSS custom properties, React Context, and localStorage working in harmony. One toggle, infinite possibilities.
Not all feedback is created equal. Some messages spark growth, others show appreciation, and some ask genuine questions. The AI doesn't just suggest messages—it understands intent.
The innovation? OpenAI APIs analyze message content and intent patterns, automatically categorize messages, helping users understand the type of input they're receiving. No manual tagging required—the AI reads between the lines.
With anonymous messaging comes the challenge of preventing abuse. How do you stop spam without compromising anonymity?Smart rate limiting is the answer.
The balance? Legitimate users send thoughtful messages at reasonable intervals, while spammers hit limits quickly. Anonymous stays anonymous, but spam gets blocked.
The stack that makes FeedForward tick. Each choice driven by purpose, not hype:
Why? Full-stack in one package. Server-side rendering for speed, API routes for logic, App Router for clean file structure. Plus, React Server Components mean smaller bundles and faster loads.
Why? Anonymous messaging needs flexible document storage. No rigid schemas when user patterns evolve. Mongoose keeps data consistent while MongoDB's aggregation pipelines crunch analytics like a boss.
Why? Auth is hard. Privacy-focused sessions, JWT tokens, secure flows—all handled. Lets me focus on anonymity features instead of wrestling with authentication edge cases.
Why? Email that actually delivers. SMTP reliability with custom templates. Time-limited verification codes work seamlessly—no third-party email service dependencies.
Why? Because blank message boxes kill conversations. AI suggestions that actually make sense, encouraging growth-focused feedback instead of generic "good job" comments.
Why? Utility-first CSS that doesn't fight you. shadcn/ui components for consistency. Fast prototypes, professional results, zero CSS headaches.
Why? Life's too short for runtime errors. Type safety catches bugs before users do. Better IDE support, cleaner refactoring, more confident deployments.
Why? Deploy and forget. CI/CD that works, AWS infrastructure that scales, zero deployment drama. Push to main, watch it go live.