HuntLog

HuntLog is a full-stack job application tracker with lifecycle validation, per-user data isolation, real-time analytics, automated follow-up email reminders, and interactive OpenAPI documentation. Built with Java 21, Spring Boot 3, PostgreSQL 16, Chart.js, and a vanilla JavaScript single-page frontend.

Live Demo: https://huntlog-coga.onrender.com (Deployed on Render + Neon PostgreSQL)

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Documentation

• Production Deployment Guide: Step-by-step guide to deploying on Render with Neon PostgreSQL, HTTPS, and Gmail/Mailtrap SMTP.
• User and Beginner Guide: Local development, dashboard walkthrough, email reminder setup, and API examples.
• Architecture and Technical Design: System architecture, finite state machine, security isolation, and database schemas.

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Features and Project Phases

• Phase 1: Core CRUD and Finite State Machine (APPLIED -> SCREENING -> INTERVIEW -> OFFER -> ACCEPTED / REJECTED / WITHDRAWN)
• Phase 2: Stateless JWT Authentication and Per-User Data Isolation
• Phase 3a: Pipeline Analytics (Response rate, velocity, status breakdown, oldest pending)
• Phase 3b: Single-Page Application (Vanilla JavaScript, HTML5, CSS3)
• Phase 4a: Automated Email Reminders and User Preferences (Spring Mail, Cron Scheduler)
• Phase 4b: Cloud Deployment (Render Docker Web Service + Neon PostgreSQL)
• Phase 5a: Interactive OpenAPI Documentation (Springdoc OpenAPI / Swagger UI)
• Phase 5b: Complete Frontend Feature Parity (Chart.js analytics, settings, edit modal, date filters, toasts, mobile drawer)

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Frontend Capabilities (Phase 5b)

• Application Management:
  • Full CRUD operations with instant client-side table rendering
  • Status transition modal enforcing allowed state machine moves with stale duration indicator
  • Dedicated Edit modal for updating company, role, location, job URL, and notes
  • Truncated notes preview with full-text hover tooltips
  • One-click "Copy URL" button with clipboard feedback and direct "View" link
  • Days-since-update counter with visual warning highlights for stale entries (> 14 days)
• Advanced Filtering and Search:
  • Real-time text search across company, role, location, and notes
  • Status filter dropdown
  • Date range filters ("Applied From" and "Applied To") with instant client-side evaluation
• Interactive Analytics View:
  • Pipeline stat cards: Total Applications, Applied This Week, Response Rate, Oldest Pending
  • Chart.js horizontal bar chart visualizing applications across all pipeline stages with badge color harmony
  • Top Companies ranking table with application counts and empty states
• User Settings and Preferences:
  • Pure CSS toggle switch for enabling/disabling automated 7-day stale follow-up email reminders
  • Read-only profile overview displaying name, email, and registration date
  • Danger Zone account deletion with confirmation dialog and cascade deletion
• UX Polish and Responsiveness:
  • Toast notification system for success, error, and info events with auto-dismissal
  • CSS keyframe loading spinners for asynchronous table and analytics loading
  • Informative empty states with direct call-to-action buttons
  • Fully mobile-responsive layout featuring a sliding drawer sidebar, hamburger toggle, and backdrop overlay

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Tech Stack

• Backend: Java 21, Spring Boot 3.4.1, Spring Security (Stateless JWT), Spring Data JPA, Spring Mail, Spring Boot Actuator, Flyway Migrations, Springdoc OpenAPI 2.8.5
• Frontend: Vanilla HTML5, CSS3, ES6+ JavaScript, Chart.js 4.4.0 (Static Spring Boot resources, zero build step required)
• Database: PostgreSQL 16/18 with automated Flyway versioning (Hosted on Neon)
• Cloud and Hosting: Docker, Docker Compose, Render (Web Service, Auto-HTTPS), Neon (Serverless PostgreSQL), UptimeRobot (24/7 Keep-Alive)

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Quick Start (Local Development)

1. Build and Package

mvn clean package -DskipTests

2. Configure Environment (Optional for Email Testing)

Copy .env.example to .env and supply Mailtrap or Gmail credentials:

cp .env.example .env

3. Start Application Stack

With Docker:

docker compose up --build -d

Without Docker (Direct Java + Cloud Neon PostgreSQL):

$env:SPRING_DATASOURCE_URL="jdbc:postgresql://ep-fancy-cake-b3nmhm4h-pooler.c-4.ap-southeast-1.aws.neon.tech/neondb?sslmode=require"
$env:DB_USERNAME="neondb_owner"
$env:DB_PASSWORD="npg_vz69XlYewrsB"
$env:JWT_SECRET="404E635266556A586E3272357538782F413F4428472B4B6250645367566B5970"
mvn spring-boot:run

4. Access HuntLog

• Web Application: http://localhost:8080
• REST API Base: http://localhost:8080/api/v1
• Actuator Health: http://localhost:8080/actuator/health
• Swagger UI (Local): http://localhost:8080/swagger-ui.html
• Swagger UI (Live): https://huntlog-coga.onrender.com/swagger-ui.html

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API Documentation

Interactive API documentation is available via Swagger UI:

• Local: http://localhost:8080/swagger-ui.html
• Live: https://huntlog-coga.onrender.com/swagger-ui.html
• OpenAPI Specification: https://huntlog-coga.onrender.com/api-docs

Paste your JWT token into the Authorize dialog to test protected endpoints interactively.

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Deploy Your Own (Zero-Cost Production Stack)

HuntLog is pre-configured for zero-cost production deployment on Render and Neon PostgreSQL:

• Neon.tech: Free serverless PostgreSQL database (persistent storage, zero expiration).
• Render.com: Free Docker Web Service deployment directly from GitHub.
• UptimeRobot: Free keep-alive ping on /actuator/health to prevent idle sleep.

Environment Variables:

• SPRING_DATASOURCE_URL: Neon JDBC URL (jdbc:postgresql://<host>/neondb?sslmode=require)
• DB_USERNAME: Neon database user
• DB_PASSWORD: Neon database password
• JWT_SECRET: 256-bit secret key for authentication tokens
• MAIL_HOST: sandbox.smtp.mailtrap.io or smtp.gmail.com
• MAIL_PORT: 587
• MAIL_USERNAME: Mail account username
• MAIL_PASSWORD: Mail account password
• MAIL_FROM: Sender email address
• REMINDERS_ENABLED: true
• REMINDER_STALE_DAYS: 7
• REMINDER_CRON: 0 0 9 * * *
• PORT: 8080

For full deployment instructions, see DEPLOYMENT.md.