System Design

Technology Choices Explained

1. Core Framework

• next (15.5.3)
  • The backbone of your app: routing, SSR/SSG, API endpoints (server actions in /actions), middleware, layouts.
  • Fits perfectly with your flow: onboarding, dashboard, resume, interview prep are all separate routes.
  • App Router simplifies server actions (e.g., saving resume, generating insights).
• react (19.1.0) + react-dom
  • Frontend rendering engine.
  • Lets you build modular UI components (components/ui/*) like Header, Hero, ResumeEditor, Chart.

2. Authentication

• @clerk/nextjs + @clerk/themes
  • Handles sign-up, sign-in, sessions.
  • Clerk is central in your flow:
    • New users → onboarding.
    • Returning users → dashboard (skipping onboarding).
  • Provides secure user management so you don’t need to roll your own auth.
  • @clerk/themes makes it easy to style login pages to match your UI theme.

3. AI & Data Layer

• @google/generative-ai
  • Wraps Gemini API.
  • Used in your system for:
    • Generating industry insights (based on Neon DB industry/user data).
    • Generating interview questions dynamically.
    • Improving resume content (e.g., work experience descriptions).
• @prisma/client + prisma
  • Type-safe ORM to connect Next.js → Neon Postgres.
  • Manages models you defined (User, Assessment, Resume, IndustryInsight).
  • In your flow:
    • Onboarding → inserts user profile.
    • Dashboard → fetches industry insights.
    • Interview → stores test Qs & scores.
    • Resume Builder → persists resume Markdown + AI suggestions.
• inngest
  • Schedules and runs background jobs.
  • Critical for your Sunday industry insights refresh → calls Gemini → updates IndustryInsight in DB.
  • Offloads heavy/recurring tasks so the user-facing app stays fast.

4. Forms & Validation

• react-hook-form + @hookform/resolvers
  • Used in Onboarding and Resume Builder forms.
  • Manages form state, validation, and error messages.
  • resolvers integrates with Zod schemas → consistent validation rules client + server.
• zod
  • Schema validation + type inference.
  • Enforces constraints you showed earlier (onboardingSchema, resumeSchema).
  • Example:
    • Onboarding form must have industry & experience between 0–50.
    • Resume must have at least one experience/project entry.