Analytics API
Django REST API and Next.js dashboard organized around analytics aggregation.
Problem
A dashboard needs activity and engagement data shaped for presentation without spreading aggregation rules across frontend components.
Constraints
- Keep data shaping on the server side so dashboard views stay focused on display logic.
- Expose a REST boundary that makes analytics queries explicit.
- Avoid claiming performance wins without measured evidence from the deployment.
Architecture
The dashboard talks to a Django REST API that owns analytics endpoints and aggregation-focused data access before the Next.js UI renders the result.
Next.js dashboard
Django REST API
Analytics endpoint layer
Aggregation/query logic
Activity data store
Dashboard visual states
Dashboard requests a specific analytics view from the REST API
API endpoint validates the requested shape and delegates aggregation
Aggregation logic queries activity and engagement data
The API returns presentation-ready summaries
The dashboard renders the response without duplicating backend query rules
Tradeoffs
- Server-side aggregation simplifies frontend code, but API changes need careful coordination with dashboard views.
- REST keeps the boundary straightforward, but each new analytics shape needs an intentional endpoint contract.
- Pre-shaped responses reduce UI work, but they can become too specific if dashboard needs change quickly.
Failure modes
- Expensive aggregation can slow dashboard responses if query shape and indexes are not revisited as data grows.
- A partial backend failure can make charts look empty unless the UI distinguishes no data from failed data.
- Time-window and filtering assumptions can produce misleading summaries if they are not visible in the interface.
What I would improve next
- Add explicit empty, loading, and failed states per dashboard panel.
- Document endpoint contracts with example request and response payloads.
- Introduce measured query profiling before making any optimization claims.