What it does
BestBefore is a web service that lets you track the goods in your fridge and pantry for expiry. With this, you can buy less food, save money, and waste less food.
How we built it
Programming Languages: JavaScript, TypeScript, React, NodeJs, Postgresql, Jest, Tesseract Hosting Platforms: Netlify and Digital Ocean Front-End: JavaScript, TypeScript, React Front-End Testing: Jest: (JavaScript testing framework) Back-End: NodeJs Services : Github Copilot DataBase: Apache CouchDB (an open-source document-oriented NoSQL database) Editor: VSCode
Challenges we ran into
There were initially plans to build a mobile app along the web service, but it had to be scrapped due to machine failures. The receipt scanner required some clever observations around the structure of receipt data, and integrating an optical character recognition solution into the backend required some additional effort. Finding a concise but expressive method to view and display all the pantry data also took careful thought and consideration.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We're proud of our relatively complete backend, complete with an authentication system, and an OCR system that can parse Walmart receipts or receipts of a similar structure.
What we learned
The application of OCR was a first for all of us, and was a large learning experience. Much of the team had never created a system of this scale before either and got to learn the structure of a larger REST API, and how to negotiate API contracts with the front end group. There was also a lot of managerial learning as a team of 6 took some effort to coordinate.
What's next for BestBefore
Fridge Sharing, Notification System, Ability to Search Recipes for Expiring Goods A mobile native app.
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