Project Alpha
Real-time collaboration platform built with WebSockets and React
TypeScript, Next.js, PostgreSQL
A real-time collaboration platform that handles concurrent editing from multiple users without data conflicts.
The Challenge
The client needed a Google Docs-like editing experience for their internal documentation tool. Traditional REST APIs weren't cutting it — updates needed to propagate in under 100ms.
Solution
Built a WebSocket-based sync engine using CRDTs (Conflict-free Replicated Data Types) to handle concurrent edits without a central authority. The frontend uses React with a custom hook that manages the WebSocket connection lifecycle.
Key decisions:
- PostgreSQL for persistent storage with
LISTEN/NOTIFYfor cross-instance events - Redis for ephemeral presence data (who's online, cursor positions)
- Next.js API routes as the WebSocket upgrade endpoint
Results
- 50ms average sync latency across regions
- Zero data conflicts in 6 months of production use
- Handles 200+ concurrent editors on a single document