Problem
E-commerce businesses manually track competitor prices and stock levels, which is slow, error-prone, and leads to missed market opportunities.
Solution
The system automatically scans competitor websites, detects changes in pricing or product availability, and sends instant notifications via webhooks.
Value
Optimize pricing strategy, react quickly to market shifts, prevent losses from outdated prices, and always stay a step ahead of competitors.
Technologies
Queues / Cron
In this idea
Cron jobs trigger scheduled monitoring, and queues ensure reliable processing of all collected data and notification delivery.
Definition
Queues and Cron are tools for running tasks on a schedule or in the background. Queues help process tasks asynchronously, keeping the main application responsive, while Cron is a classic scheduler that runs commands or scripts at specific times. Both help automate routine or resource-intensive operations like sending emails, processing data, or backups, without needing user intervention.
NestJS
In this idea
The primary backend framework that manages data collection, comparison, and notification delivery processes.
Definition
NestJS is a framework for building efficient and scalable server-side applications using Node.js. It uses TypeScript and combines elements of object-oriented, functional, and reactive programming to make development more structured and predictable. NestJS helps organize code, simplifies integration with other libraries and tools, and is great for building both simple APIs and complex microservices.
PostgreSQL
In this idea
A reliable storage for all monitored products, their price history, availability statuses, and user notification settings.
Definition
PostgreSQL is a powerful, reliable, and object-relational database management system (RDBMS). It's known for its stability, flexibility, and adherence to SQL standards. PostgreSQL supports complex queries, transactions, foreign keys, and various data types, making it an excellent choice for applications that require data integrity and high performance, from small websites to large enterprise systems.
Webhooks
In this idea
Enable instant notifications about price changes or product availability to be sent to Slack, internal systems, or other external user services.
Definition
Webhooks are a way for one application to notify another application about an event that happened in real-time. Instead of constantly checking if something new has occurred, the receiving application simply waits to be notified (via webhook) over the internet. It's like getting an SMS alert when a new message arrives, rather than constantly checking your phone.
Redis
In this idea
A fast in-memory database used for temporary storage of scraping results, caching, and managing task queues.
Definition
Redis is like a super-fast scratchpad for your application. Instead of writing data to a hard drive, it keeps it in the computer's main memory (RAM), making it incredibly quick to retrieve. This is perfect for things where speed is key, like caching frequently accessed information, managing user login sessions, or acting as a quick message broker to send tasks between different parts of your system.
Scrapers
In this idea
Automated programs that regularly visit competitor websites to collect information on pricing and product availability.
Definition
Scrapers are programs that automatically collect information from websites. Imagine you need to gather product prices from dozens of online stores. Instead of copying them manually, you use a scraper that visits the sites and extracts the needed data, saving it for later analysis or use.