Fixing JWT Dashboard Admin Access

Problem: The JWT Authentication Dashboard login flow worked, but the Admin page could not load users from the deployed Mini User API backend. The browser showed CORS errors, connection errors, and a 500 Internal Server Error.

Cause: The deployed FastAPI backend did not allow the local frontend origin http://localhost:5175. The admin route also tried to use current_user.role, but current_user was actually a dictionary returned from the auth dependency.

Fix: I added the local frontend origin to the backend CORS allow list and changed the admin role check to use current_user.get("role").

Lesson: A frontend error is not always a frontend problem. In this case, the visible error appeared in React, but the real causes were backend CORS configuration, deployed API behaviour, and role-checking logic.

Updating Portfolio Featured Projects

Problem: The portfolio homepage did not fully reflect my strongest and most current projects after recent updates to the JWT Authentication Dashboard and backend API.

Fix: I updated the featured project data, changed the homepage from three featured projects to four, refreshed the tags, and added new screenshots for the JWT Authentication Dashboard.

Lesson: A portfolio should not only list projects. It should clearly show what each project proves, such as authentication, backend API design, deployment, CI/CD, accessibility, or full-stack integration.

Fixing pytest import paths

Problem: pytest could not find the app package, even though app/__init__.py existed.

Fix: Added a pytest.ini file with pythonpath = . and testpaths = tests.

Lesson: __init__.py makes a folder a Python package, but pytest.ini tells pytest where to start looking from.

Making app controls easier to access

Problem: Accessibility controls can be difficult to find if they are hidden deep inside a settings page.

Fix: Move important display controls, such as font size and readable font options, into a small header menu.

Lesson: Accessibility settings should be easy to reach from public and logged-in pages, not only from profile settings.

Fixing an Empty Alembic Migration

Problem: Alembic created a migration file but this did not include: op.create_table("tickets", ...)

Fix: Using the correct command locations in the Project Root and Backend folder to regenerate the migration file.

Lesson: Alembic compares SQLAlchemy models against the current database state. If the table already exists, Alembic may generate an empty migration.

Fixing Bloom Routine Synchronisation

Problem: Routines created by logged-in users appeared on the Routines page but did not appear on Home, Progress, or after refresh. Several routine-related features seemed broken despite the backend APIs already existing.

Fix: Investigated the frontend data flow and discovered that Routines.jsx never called the backend CRUD functions. Added authenticated backend persistence, routine synchronisation events, loading states, and automatic Home page refreshes after routine changes.

Lesson: Multiple bugs can often share a single root cause. Following data from the UI through the API and database is often more effective than fixing symptoms individually.

Fixing Dashboard Analytics After Introducting Pagination

Problem: While expanding the Inventory Management System, I noticed the dashboard statistics did not match the inventory stored in PostgreSQL. New products were added, but the dashboard continued to display totals based on only ten items.

Fix: I reviewed the backend API and confirmed that the /items endpoint intentionally limits results to ten records. I then tested the /items/stats, /items/category-summary, and /items/category-value endpoints and confirmed that they calculated data across the full database. I updated the React frontend to use these aggregation endpoints for dashboard statistics while keeping the inventory list paginated.

Lesson: Paginated operational data should not be used to calculate global dashboard metrics. Tracing data from the React UI through the API and database helped identify that the issue was caused by the frontend data flow rather than the backend calculations.