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Pakistan (Remote)
aebadulquadir123@gmail.com
+92 334 0354382
Mobile Development

ArabSocials – A Global Community & Networking Platform

Vinncorp Affiliated with
Vinncorp
Published
2025

Overview

Arab Socials is a social and professional networking app designed to connect people across different locations, professions, and interests. Whether users want to host an event, promote a business, or volunteer for community growth, Arab Socials provides an inclusive space to build meaningful relationships and collaborate. The platform brings together individuals from diverse backgrounds to empower and elevate each other through events, programs, and online engagement.

Challenge & Solution

Problem

The original platform struggled with slow load times, inconsistent performance, and a rigid architecture that made it difficult to introduce new features. Key engagement tools such as events, messaging, and community discovery were limited and not intuitive, which reduced user retention and overall activity. As the user base grew, the system lacked the scalability and flexibility needed to support richer experiences and future expansion.

Solution

I redesigned the platform with a modern, modular architecture that improves both frontend and backend performance while keeping future growth in mind. Navigation flows were simplified, APIs were optimized for faster responses, and the system was structured to easily support new features like AI-driven recommendations and advanced content moderation. As a result, Arab Socials now delivers a faster, more engaging, and scalable experience, helping users more easily discover events, connect with communities, and build meaningful professional and social relationships.

AspectBeforeAfter
MobileFlutterReact Native
BackendDjango (Cookiecutter)NestJS (main API + chat service)
DatabaseDjango ORMPrisma + PostgreSQL
Caching / RealtimeLimited / CeleryRedis (caching, presence, unreads)
Media StorageBasicGCP Cloud Storage
DeploymentGenericGCP (Compute Engine)
Payments—Stripe Connect (commission model)
User Growth
1,000+ new

Onboarded quickly, reaching ~10,000 total users.

Engagement
Higher retention

Noticeable lift in daily active usage and session depth.

Performance
Faster UX

Quicker loads, instant unread counts, smooth realtime chat.

Scale
Ready to grow

Redis + optimized APIs handle higher concurrency without slowdowns.

System Architecture
ArabSocials system architecture

My Role

  • Led the complete revamp of the existing app for performance and scalability.
  • Developed both frontend and backend.
  • Built the mobile app using React Native.
  • Developed the Admin Portal using Next.js for content and user management.
  • Designed and implemented the backend using NestJS + Prisma + PostgreSQL.
  • Implemented Stripe for paid event ticketing and used PaymentIntent for commission handling.
  • Planned future integration of AI-powered features for recommendations and engagement.
Tech Stack
React Native NestJS PostgreSQL Prisma Supabase Redis GCP Stripe Connect Socket.IO Firebase

Technical Implementation

Mobile: React Native (iOS & Android) | Backend: NestJS, Prisma, PostgreSQL, Supabase (auth) | Realtime Chat: NestJS WebSocket gateway (Socket.IO) | Payments: Stripe Connect (event ticketing, commissions) | Media: GCP Cloud Storage | Deployment: Google Cloud Platform (GCE, GCS) | Caching: Redis

Redis Usage

Redis is central to performance and realtime behavior:

Use CaseImplementation
Online presenceonline:{userId} with TTL for chat/group presence
User groups cacheuser_groups:{userId} (5 min TTL)
Unread countsunread:group:{userId}:{groupId} – instant reads via batch MGET
Typing indicatorstyping:group_{groupId}:user_{userId} (10s TTL)
Pub/SubGroup message publishing for horizontal scaling
GCP Deployment
  • Compute Engine: NestJS backend and chat service (us-central1-c)
  • Cloud Storage: Media bucket for avatars, logos, event images
  • GCP SDK: @google-cloud/storage with Sharp for compression
  • Process management: PM2 for production
Additional Modules
  • Admin Portal (React) for events, organizers, registrations, commission settings
  • Event Ticketing with Stripe Connect + commission handling
  • Forms Module with backend validation
  • Notifications: Firebase Cloud Messaging
  • Group Chat & 1-to-1 Chat (WebSocket, Redis-backed presence and unreads)
  • Dating Module, Businesses Directory, Posts feed
  • Organizers Management APIs and UI

Architecture Highlights

  • 01 - Decoupled chat service (dedicated NestJS for realtime)
  • 02 - Redis-first for hot data (groups, members, unreads, presence)
  • 03 - Batch Redis ops (MGET, pipelines) for multi-room queries
  • 04 - GCP-native deployment (Compute Engine + Cloud Storage)
  • 05 - Stripe Connect for event payments and commission automation
  • 06 - Prisma for type-safe DB access and migrations

Deliverables

  • React Native mobile app (iOS & Android)
  • NestJS main backend API
  • NestJS chat service with WebSockets
  • Admin portal (React)
  • GCP deployment and media pipeline
  • Redis integration for caching and presence
  • Stripe Connect integration
  • Migration from legacy Django data

Project Name: ArabSocials Mobile Application | Industry: Social Networking / Community Platform | Duration: In Progress

Aebad ul Quadir

Full Stack Web & App Developer. Led mobile app and backend development for ArabSocials from concept to App Store launch.