Micron
A peer to peer microtransactions network
Simple web-based banking application that allows a registered user to send dummy currency to another user.
The application uses a two-factor authentication protocol, that enables safe transfers and a private method to check their balance.
Demo
MVP flow:
- Create an account with a unique username.
- Store safely the secret hash.
- Transfer money and check the updated balance.
- Create a second account and test the transfer balance (Optional).
Main Features
Create an account
Anonymous authentication is used to tie the current device session to a User uuid.
Doing so, we require no password as the user's device is the only one that can carry out money transfers.
Send dummy currency from one account to another
By using a Cryptographic key (UUID-V4) we provide the user with a 2-way authentication system.
In the future, the UUID string can be replaced by a QR sent via email.
Check account balance
The Transfer Collection is designed as an insert-only Ledger, thus, we guarantee the integrity of the transaction history and the user's balance.
To preserve privacy, direct reading of the Ledger is not allowed for the users & only an aggregation can be consumed.
Learn More
Tech Stack
Front End: React / Bulma
DB: MongoDB Stitch & Functions
Hosting: Netlify/ GitLab
The stacked was used to provide the most possible value in a 24 hour time-frame.
The design of the application was inspired by BlockChain techonology & the AWS Quantum Ledger DB.
Testing
Tests were defined & run manually. A path to automatize them, would look:
Unit Tests: Assert correct configuration of Indexes & DB Security Rules.
Integration Tests: For each one of the three main views of the application.
E2E Test: Sign-up, transfer money from one account to another & validate the balance for each account.
Security
There are two collections that support the app: Users & Transfers, both collections are insert-only.
The user collection has the following fields: id, user_id, crypto_key & unique_name. It has an unique-index in each field to prevent duplicates.
The crypto_key attribute is not readable by the client, the user_id is only readable by the owner user and is generated when first connecting to the DB.
Finally, the list of unique_users is public and used to send money transfers.
The ledger DB, i.e. transfers collection, is completely handled by the server.
Next Steps
- Resolve negative account balances by either: create a protocol that allows money to go in & out of the system, else, develop a credit system (second one is prefered).
- Improve the life-span of the user_id in the browser session, and develop a mechanism to recover accounts.
- Strengthen security by using a blockchain DB, then validate the feasibility for each transaction via graph algorithms.
- Assess product & market fit by installing Product Intelligence software (Amplitude).
- Validate idea with domain expertes in banking & security, then develop a business model.
- Enhance UX by using a QR mobile code, improve style and a mobile first approach.
Contact
Run Locally
yarn install
yarn start