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IB2M_Official
IB2M_Official

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I built UnlimBox: A Neo-Brutalist alternative to bloated corporate cloud storage clients

#webdev #sideprojects #react #cloudstorage

Most mainstream cloud storage interfaces are boring, sterile, and feel sluggish under heavy nested directories. As developers, we deserve a personal dashboard that isn't just a corporate carbon copy of Google Drive or Dropbox. I wanted something snappy, highly tactile, and visually bold.

I built UnlimBoxā€”a fast, responsive, and secure cloud storage web app designed with a Flat Neo-Brutalist interface. It features nested folders, high-speed file uploads, secure share generation, and a fully functional Progressive Web App (PWA) wrapper for native mobile responsiveness.

  • Frontend: React, TypeScript, and Vite for fast builds, with Tailwind CSS driving the thick border styles.
  • State & Routing: React Router DOM for routing with secure client-side ProtectedRoute guards.
  • Backend: Express API on Node.js acting as a secure controller and authentication layer.
  • Database & Storage: Firebase Cloud Firestore for reactive document indexing and Firebase Auth for sessions.

Handling over 90GB of assets in early testing caused high Firestore read overhead. I solved this by flattening the folder structure query schemas to index directories on a parent-ID level and implementing a Node proxy server to cache repetitive asset metadata lookup requests.

I'd love for this community to push its limits! Check it out at https://cloud-storage-afd51.web.app/ and let me know how the tactile UI feel on your mobile device.

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IB2M_Official •

Just adding a quick technical breakdown for the devs here! šŸš€

UnlimBox is built with a hybrid architecture: React/TypeScript + Tailwind (Neo-brutalism UI) on the frontend, and a custom Node.js/Express REST API on the backend.

A few cool dev features under the hood:
āš”ļø Custom Auth Middleware securing all backend API endpoints.
šŸ”„ Firebase Auth & Firestore, optimized to smoothly handle 90GB+ of files in development.
šŸ›”ļø Smart "Grandfathering" Logic in the React Router to exempt legacy test accounts from strict email verification while securing new ones.
šŸ“± Full PWA Integration via Service Workers for performance and caching.

Would love to hear your thoughts on the stack and architecture! šŸ’»šŸ‘‡