Senior fullstack

Senior Fullstack Engineer Skill

Advanced architectural patterns, infrastructure, testing, and production-grade system design.

---

Core Stack

Layer	Technology
Framework	Next.js 15 (App Router)
ORM	Drizzle ORM or Prisma
Database	PostgreSQL (Supabase / Neon / RDS)
Cache / Queue	Redis + BullMQ
Auth	Clerk or NextAuth v5
Payments	Stripe
Testing	Playwright (E2E) + Vitest (unit)
CI/CD	GitHub Actions
Containers	Docker + Docker Compose
Monitoring	Sentry + OpenTelemetry

---

Database Layer

Drizzle ORM (Preferred — Type-Safe, Lightweight)

// lib/db/schema.ts
import { pgTable, text, timestamp, uuid, boolean, index } from 'drizzle-orm/pg-core'

export const users = pgTable('users', {
  id: uuid('id').primaryKey().defaultRandom(),
  clerkId: text('clerk_id').notNull().unique(),
  email: text('email').notNull().unique(),
  name: text('name').notNull(),
  createdAt: timestamp('created_at').notNull().defaultNow(),
  updatedAt: timestamp('updated_at').notNull().defaultNow(),
}, (table) => ({
  clerkIdIdx: index('users_clerk_id_idx').on(table.clerkId),
  emailIdx: index('users_email_idx').on(table.email),
}))

export const posts = pgTable('posts', {
  id: uuid('id').primaryKey().defaultRandom(),
  userId: uuid('user_id').notNull().references(() => users.id, { onDelete: 'cascade' }),
  title: text('title').notNull(),
  slug: text('slug').notNull().unique(),
  content: text('content'),
  published: boolean('published').notNull().default(false),
  publishedAt: timestamp('published_at'),
  createdAt: timestamp('created_at').notNull().defaultNow(),
}, (table) => ({
  userIdIdx: index('posts_user_id_idx').on(table.userId),
  slugIdx: index('posts_slug_idx').on(table.slug),
}))

Database Connection Pooling

// lib/db/index.ts
import { drizzle } from 'drizzle-orm/node-postgres'
import { Pool } from 'pg'
import * as schema from './schema'

// Single pool instance — critical for connection pooling
const pool = new Pool({
  connectionString: process.env.DATABASE_URL,
  max: 20,                    // Max connections
  idleTimeoutMillis: 30_000,  // Close idle connections after 30s
  connectionTimeoutMillis: 2_000,
})

export const db = drizzle(pool, { schema })

// For serverless (Neon, Supabase with pgBouncer)
// Use neon-serverless driver instead:
// import { neon } from '@neondatabase/serverless'
// const sql = neon(process.env.DATABASE_URL!)
// export const db = drizzle(sql, { schema })

Repository Pattern

// lib/db/repositories/post.repository.ts
import { db } from '@/lib/db'
import { posts, users } from '@/lib/db/schema'
import { eq, desc, and, sql } from 'drizzle-orm'

export class PostRepository {
  async findPublished(limit = 10, offset = 0) {
    return db
      .select({
        id: posts.id,
        title: posts.title,
        slug: posts.slug,
        publishedAt: posts.publishedAt,
        author: { name: users.name },
      })
      .from(posts)
      .innerJoin(users, eq(posts.userId, users.id))
      .where(eq(posts.published, true))
      .orderBy(desc(posts.publishedAt))
      .limit(limit)
      .offset(offset)
  }

  async findBySlug(slug: string) {
    const [post] = await db
      .select()
      .from(posts)
      .where(eq(posts.slug, slug))
      .limit(1)
    return post ?? null
  }

  async create(data: typeof posts.$inferInsert) {
    const [post] = await db.insert(posts).values(data).returning()
    return post
  }

  async incrementView(id: string) {
    await db
      .update(posts)
      .set({ viewCount: sql`${posts.viewCount} + 1` })
      .where(eq(posts.id, id))
  }
}

export const postRepository = new PostRepository()

---

Redis Caching

Setup & Client

// lib/redis.ts
import { Redis } from 'ioredis'

let redis: Redis

if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production') {
  redis = new Redis(process.env.REDIS_URL!, {
    maxRetriesPerRequest: 3,
    enableReadyCheck: false,
    lazyConnect: true,
  })
} else {
  // Singleton in dev to prevent hot-reload creating new connections
  const globalForRedis = globalThis as { redis?: Redis }
  globalForRedis.redis ??= new Redis(process.env.REDIS_URL!)
  redis = globalForRedis.redis
}

export { redis }

Cache-Aside Pattern

// lib/cache.ts
import { redis } from './redis'

export async function cached<T>(
  key: string,
  fn: () => Promise<T>,
  ttlSeconds = 60
): Promise<T> {
  const cached = await redis.get(key)
  if (cached) return JSON.parse(cached) as T

  const result = await fn()
  await redis.setex(key, ttlSeconds, JSON.stringify(result))
  return result
}

export function cacheKey(...parts: string[]) {
  return parts.join(':')
}

// Usage
const posts = await cached(
  cacheKey('posts', 'published', page.toString()),
  () => postRepository.findPublished(10, offset),
  300 // 5 minutes
)

Cache Invalidation Strategy

// Granular tag-based invalidation
export async function invalidatePostCache(postId: string, slug: string) {
  const keys = await redis.keys(`posts:*`)
  if (keys.length > 0) await redis.del(...keys)
  await redis.del(`post:${slug}`, `post:${postId}`)
}

---

Background Jobs with BullMQ

Queue Setup

// lib/queues/index.ts
import { Queue, Worker, QueueEvents } from 'bullmq'
import { redis } from '@/lib/redis'

const connection = { connection: redis }

// Define queues
export const emailQueue = new Queue('email', connection)
export const imageQueue = new Queue('image-processing', connection)
export const webhookQueue = new Queue('webhooks', connection)

// Job types
export type EmailJobData = {
  to: string
  subject: string
  template: 'welcome' | 'reset-password' | 'invoice'
  variables: Record<string, string>
}

Worker

// workers/email.worker.ts
import { Worker } from 'bullmq'
import { redis } from '@/lib/redis'
import { sendEmail } from '@/lib/email'
import type { EmailJobData } from '@/lib/queues'

export const emailWorker = new Worker<EmailJobData>(
  'email',
  async (job) => {
    const { to, subject, template, variables } = job.data

    await job.updateProgress(10)

    const html = await renderEmailTemplate(template, variables)

    await job.updateProgress(50)

    await sendEmail({ to, subject, html })

    await job.updateProgress(100)

    return { sent: true, to }
  },
  {
    connection: { connection: redis },
    concurrency: 5,
    limiter: { max: 100, duration: 60_000 }, // 100 emails/min
  }
)

emailWorker.on('completed', (job, result) => {
  console.log(`Email job ${job.id} completed`, result)
})

emailWorker.on('failed', (job, err) => {
  console.error(`Email job ${job?.id} failed:`, err)
})

Enqueue from Server Actions

// app/actions/auth.actions.ts
'use server'
import { emailQueue } from '@/lib/queues'

export async function sendWelcomeEmail(userId: string) {
  const user = await userRepository.findById(userId)
  if (!user) return

  await emailQueue.add(
    'welcome-email',
    {
      to: user.email,
      subject: 'Welcome!',
      template: 'welcome',
      variables: { name: user.name },
    },
    {
      attempts: 3,
      backoff: { type: 'exponential', delay: 5000 },
      removeOnComplete: 100,  // Keep last 100 completed
      removeOnFail: 500,
    }
  )
}

---

API Design (Route Handlers)

Typed Route Handler

// app/api/posts/route.ts
import { NextRequest, NextResponse } from 'next/server'
import { auth } from '@clerk/nextjs/server'
import { z } from 'zod'
import { postRepository } from '@/lib/db/repositories/post.repository'

const createPostSchema = z.object({
  title: z.string().min(1).max(200),
  content: z.string().optional(),
  published: z.boolean().default(false),
})

export async function GET(request: NextRequest) {
  const { searchParams } = new URL(request.url)
  const page = Math.max(1, Number(searchParams.get('page') ?? 1))
  const limit = Math.min(50, Number(searchParams.get('limit') ?? 10))

  const posts = await postRepository.findPublished(limit, (page - 1) * limit)
  return NextResponse.json({ data: posts, page, limit })
}

export async function POST(request: NextRequest) {
  const { userId } = await auth()
  if (!userId) {
    return NextResponse.json({ error: 'Unauthorized' }, { status: 401 })
  }

  const body = await request.json()
  const parsed = createPostSchema.safeParse(body)
  if (!parsed.success) {
    return NextResponse.json(
      { error: 'Validation failed', details: parsed.error.flatten() },
      { status: 422 }
    )
  }

  const post = await postRepository.create({ ...parsed.data, userId })
  return NextResponse.json({ data: post }, { status: 201 })
}

Rate Limiting Middleware

// middleware.ts
import { NextResponse, type NextRequest } from 'next/server'
import { Ratelimit } from '@upstash/ratelimit'
import { Redis } from '@upstash/redis'

const ratelimit = new Ratelimit({
  redis: Redis.fromEnv(),
  limiter: Ratelimit.slidingWindow(10, '10 s'),
  analytics: true,
})

export async function middleware(request: NextRequest) {
  if (request.nextUrl.pathname.startsWith('/api/')) {
    const ip = request.ip ?? '127.0.0.1'
    const { success, limit, reset, remaining } = await ratelimit.limit(ip)

    if (!success) {
      return NextResponse.json(
        { error: 'Too many requests' },
        {
          status: 429,
          headers: {
            'X-RateLimit-Limit': limit.toString(),
            'X-RateLimit-Remaining': remaining.toString(),
            'X-RateLimit-Reset': reset.toString(),
          },
        }
      )
    }
  }
}

export const config = {
  matcher: '/api/:path*',
}

---

Testing

Playwright E2E

// tests/e2e/auth.spec.ts
import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test'

test.describe('Authentication flow', () => {
  test('user can sign up and access dashboard', async ({ page }) => {
    await page.goto('/sign-up')

    await page.fill('[name="email"]', '[email protected]')
    await page.fill('[name="password"]', 'SecurePass123!')
    await page.click('[type="submit"]')

    await expect(page).toHaveURL('/dashboard')
    await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Dashboard' })).toBeVisible()
  })

  test('protected routes redirect unauthenticated users', async ({ page }) => {
    await page.goto('/dashboard')
    await expect(page).toHaveURL(/\/sign-in/)
  })
})

// playwright.config.ts
import { defineConfig, devices } from '@playwright/test'

export default defineConfig({
  testDir: './tests/e2e',
  fullyParallel: true,
  forbidOnly: !!process.env.CI,
  retries: process.env.CI ? 2 : 0,
  workers: process.env.CI ? 1 : undefined,
  reporter: [['html'], ['github']],
  use: {
    baseURL: process.env.BASE_URL ?? 'http://localhost:3000',
    trace: 'on-first-retry',
    screenshot: 'only-on-failure',
  },
  projects: [
    { name: 'chromium', use: { ...devices['Desktop Chrome'] } },
    { name: 'Mobile Safari', use: { ...devices['iPhone 14'] } },
  ],
  webServer: {
    command: 'pnpm dev',
    url: 'http://localhost:3000',
    reuseExistingServer: !process.env.CI,
  },
})

Vitest Unit Tests

// lib/__tests__/cache.test.ts
import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
import { cached } from '@/lib/cache'

vi.mock('@/lib/redis', () => ({
  redis: {
    get: vi.fn(),
    setex: vi.fn(),
  },
}))

describe('cached()', () => {
  beforeEach(() => vi.clearAllMocks())

  it('returns cached value when cache hit', async () => {
    const { redis } = await import('@/lib/redis')
    vi.mocked(redis.get).mockResolvedValue(JSON.stringify({ id: 1 }))

    const fn = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ id: 1 })
    const result = await cached('test-key', fn)

    expect(result).toEqual({ id: 1 })
    expect(fn).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
  })

  it('calls fn and caches result on miss', async () => {
    const { redis } = await import('@/lib/redis')
    vi.mocked(redis.get).mockResolvedValue(null)

    const fn = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ id: 2 })
    const result = await cached('test-key', fn, 60)

    expect(result).toEqual({ id: 2 })
    expect(redis.setex).toHaveBeenCalledWith('test-key', 60, JSON.stringify({ id: 2 }))
  })
})

---

Docker & CI/CD

Multi-Stage Dockerfile

# Dockerfile
FROM node:20-alpine AS base
RUN apk add --no-cache libc6-compat
WORKDIR /app
RUN npm install -g pnpm

FROM base AS deps
COPY package.json pnpm-lock.yaml ./
RUN pnpm install --frozen-lockfile

FROM base AS builder
COPY --from=deps /app/node_modules ./node_modules
COPY . .
ENV NEXT_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1
RUN pnpm build

FROM base AS runner
ENV NODE_ENV=production
ENV NEXT_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1

RUN addgroup --system --gid 1001 nodejs
RUN adduser --system --uid 1001 nextjs

COPY --from=builder /app/public ./public
COPY --from=builder --chown=nextjs:nodejs /app/.next/standalone ./
COPY --from=builder --chown=nextjs:nodejs /app/.next/static ./.next/static

USER nextjs
EXPOSE 3000
ENV PORT=3000
ENV HOSTNAME="0.0.0.0"

CMD ["node", "server.js"]

GitHub Actions CI Pipeline

# .github/workflows/ci.yml
name: CI

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    services:
      postgres:
        image: postgres:16
        env:
          POSTGRES_PASSWORD: postgres
          POSTGRES_DB: testdb
        options: >-
          --health-cmd pg_isready
          --health-interval 10s
          --health-timeout 5s
          --health-retries 5
        ports:
          - 5432:5432

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: pnpm/action-setup@v3
        with:
          version: 9
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: 20
          cache: 'pnpm'

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: pnpm install --frozen-lockfile

      - name: Type check
        run: pnpm tsc --noEmit

      - name: Lint
        run: pnpm lint

      - name: Unit tests
        run: pnpm test
        env:
          DATABASE_URL: postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/testdb

      - name: Run migrations
        run: pnpm db:migrate
        env:
          DATABASE_URL: postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/testdb

      - name: Build
        run: pnpm build
        env:
          DATABASE_URL: postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/testdb

  e2e:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    needs: test
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: pnpm/action-setup@v3
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: 20
          cache: 'pnpm'
      - run: pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
      - name: Install Playwright browsers
        run: pnpm playwright install --with-deps chromium
      - name: Run E2E tests
        run: pnpm playwright test
        env:
          BASE_URL: http://localhost:3000
      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        if: failure()
        with:
          name: playwright-report
          path: playwright-report/

---

Key Architectural Rules

1. Repository pattern for all DB access — never raw queries in route handlers or Server Actions
2. Connection pool as singleton — one Pool instance, not one per request
3. BullMQ for anything async — email, image processing, webhooks, notifications
4. Redis cache-aside — cache at the repository layer, not the component layer
5. Zod validation at every API boundary — route handlers AND Server Actions
6. Rate limit all public APIs — use Upstash Redis for serverless-safe limiting
7. Multi-stage Docker builds — never ship dev dependencies to production
8. Test pyramid: unit (Vitest) > integration > E2E (Playwright)
9. CI gates on type check + lint + unit tests before E2E
10. Never commit secrets — use environment variables, validate at startup