Designing a dual-interface e-commerce platform: User and admin perspectives

Ecom
1

I’m working on a React-based online store and need advice on structuring the admin dashboard. I’m using Firebase Realtime DB for the backend.

Here’s what I’m considering:

  1. Single app with login-based access control:

    • How can Firebase distinguish between admin and regular users?
    • Is this a secure approach?

  2. Separate admin interface:

    • Run admin dashboard locally
    • Use API calls to modify Firebase data
    • Is this overkill for a small project?

What’s the best practice for this setup? Are there other options I should explore? I’m new to system design, so any insights from experienced devs would be super helpful.

// Example structure (not actual code)
const UserInterface = () => {
  // Regular user components
}

const AdminDashboard = () => {
  // Admin-only components
}

const App = () => {
  const [userType, setUserType] = useState('regular')
  
  return userType === 'admin' ? <AdminDashboard /> : <UserInterface />
}

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

2

I’ve implemented similar setups before, and I’d recommend going with the single app approach using role-based access control. It’s more maintainable and scalable in the long run. Firebase Authentication can indeed handle user roles effectively.

For security, ensure you implement proper server-side validation and set up Firebase Security Rules to restrict access based on user roles. This way, even if someone bypasses client-side checks, they can’t access unauthorized data or functions.

Remember to keep your admin functions separate from regular user functions, perhaps in a different module or component tree. This separation will make it easier to manage permissions and maintain your codebase as the project grows.

Lastly, consider implementing a loading state while checking user roles to prevent any flickering between interfaces during authentication.

3

hey, i workd on similar projects. for a small project, a role-based single app works fine. firebase auth can handle user roles if u set proper security rules.

the separate admin interface is overkill unless u got many unique admin features. best of luck!

4

Hey there! Your project sounds super interesting. Have you thought about using Firebase Cloud Functions for some of the admin tasks? It could add an extra layer of security and take some load off the client-side.

Also, I’m curious - what kind of features are you planning for the admin dashboard? Might help decide if a separate interface is worth it or not.

Oh, and have you looked into React Router for handling different views? Could be handy for switching between user and admin interfaces smoothly.

Just throwing ideas out there! What’s been the trickiest part of the project so far?