Mini Application Workflow Tracker(ANDREW AMBUKA'S ASSIGNMENT)

A Django Ninja API and typed React frontend for the take-home application workflow assignment.

Workflow:

Draft -> Submitted -> Under Review -> Need More Information / Approved / Rejected

Features

• Create application drafts
• List and view applications
• Edit Draft and Need More Information applications
• Submit and resubmit applications
• Start review from Submitted
• Record reviewer decisions from Under Review
• Require comments for Need More Information and Rejected decisions
• Docker Compose setup for backend and frontend

Tech Stack

• Backend: Python 3.9+, Django 4.2, Django Ninja, SQLite
• Frontend: React, TypeScript, Vite, Fetch API
• Tooling: Docker, Docker Compose

Docker Setup(Important add on)

Run both Frontend and Backend: After cloning and setting up the .env by copying the .env.examples of both folders in the repo(Both folders have .envs)

docker compose up --build

This way docker handles all installations and packages needed to run the application

Then open:

http://localhost:5173

Environment And Database

Backend environment variables live in:

backend/.env

Use this committed template when setting up a new machine:

cp backend/.env.example backend/.env

The local backend database uses SQLite by default. The connection is configured in backend/core/settings.py through Django's DATABASES setting:

DATABASES = {
    "default": {
        "ENGINE": "django.db.backends.sqlite3",
        "NAME": env_path("SQLITE_PATH", BASE_DIR / "db.sqlite3"),
    }
}

With the default .env, the database file is:

backend/db.sqlite3

SQLITE_PATH may be absolute or relative. Relative paths are resolved from the backend/ directory, so SQLITE_PATH=db.sqlite3 is stable whether commands are run from the project root or from backend/.

The initial Django admin user is also configured by environment variables:

DJANGO_SUPERUSER_USERNAME=admin
DJANGO_SUPERUSER_EMAIL=admin@example.com
DJANGO_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD=change-this-admin-password

The local backend/.env can use development credentials. Change the password before using the project anywhere beyond local testing.

Frontend environment variables are optional because the app defaults to:

http://localhost:8000/api

If needed, copy the frontend template:

cp frontend/.env.example frontend/.env

Backend Setup

cd backend
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
python manage.py migrate
python manage.py ensure_admin_user
python manage.py runserver

Backend API:

http://localhost:8000/api/

API docs:

http://localhost:8000/api/docs

Django admin:

http://localhost:8000/admin/

If you use the included local .env.example, the development admin credentials are:

username: admin
password: admin12345

Run backend tests:

cd backend
python manage.py test applications

Frontend Setup

cd frontend
npm install
npm run dev

Frontend:

http://localhost:5173

Type-check and build:

npm run typecheck
npm run build

Set a custom API URL if needed:

VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:8000/api npm run dev

The backend container runs migrations before starting the development server. It also creates the configured initial admin user.

Default Docker admin credentials:

username: admin
password: admin12345

Assignment Coverage

• Application model includes all required fields.
• Application types: Recordation, Renewal, Change of Ownership, Change of Name, Discontinuation.
• Statuses: Draft, Submitted, Under Review, Need More Information, Approved, Rejected.
• API endpoints support draft creation, list, detail, draft update, submit, start review, and reviewer decision.
• Workflow rules are enforced in the API and covered by tests.
• Django admin is enabled for a reviewer/admin user and can be bootstrapped from environment variables.
• React UI includes list, create/edit form, detail page, and reviewer decision form.
• Detail page actions change by status: Draft shows Edit and Submit. Submitted shows Start review. Under Review shows reviewer decision controls. Need More Information shows Edit and Resubmit. Approved and Rejected show no edit actions.

Assumptions

• There is no custom frontend authentication in this assignment, so reviewer actions are exposed through the same API. Django admin is available for a protected reviewer/admin management surface.
• Need More Information applications can be edited and resubmitted.
• Resubmitting clears the previous reviewer comment for the active review cycle.
• SQLite is used for local development and the take-home scope.

What I Would Improve With More Time

• Add authentication and reviewer/applicant permissions.
• Add a workflow history table instead of keeping only the latest timestamps.
• Add pagination, search, and status filters.
• Move production settings to environment-specific modules.
• Add end-to-end browser tests for the React workflow.