Task Manager

Overview

Nexus Tasks is a full-stack, workspace-based task management system designed for team collaboration, secure authentication, and real-time notifications.

The system supports project-based task organization, enabling users to structure work effectively within each workspace. It also introduces timeline visualization through a built-in Gantt-style schedule and a deadline tracking dashboard for better planning and visibility.

It is available on both web and desktop platforms, enabling seamless task management across environments.

The goal was to build a production-level application that handles multi-user workflows, real-time updates, and cloud deployment with a clean and modern UI.

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Tech Stack

• Frontend: React, Vite, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS v4, Framer Motion, Zustand, ShadCN UI
• Backend: Node.js, Express
• Database: MongoDB (Mongoose, MongoDB Atlas)
• Desktop: Tauri v2 (Rust), Tauri HTTP Plugin
• Authentication: JWT, bcryptjs
• Notifications: Novu (email + in-app workflows)
• Deployment: AWS EC2 (backend), Vercel (frontend)

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Key Features

• Workspace-based multi-user system
• Project-based task organization
• Project-aware task filtering and views
• Secure authentication (login, signup, password reset)
• Task management (create, assign, update, status tracking)
• Team collaboration and member management
• Real-time notification system (in-app + email)
• Dashboard with project insights and quick navigation
• Gantt-style project timeline (plan start and end months)
• Global search, filtering, and sorting
• Profile management with avatar upload and editing
• Cross-platform desktop application (Windows, macOS, Linux)
• Seamless API integration between web and desktop clients
• Modern glassmorphism UI with smooth interactions

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System Design

The system follows a modular full-stack architecture:

• Frontend handles UI state using Zustand and communicates with REST APIs
• Backend manages authentication, business logic, and workspace isolation
• MongoDB stores users, tasks, and workspace relationships
• Novu handles notification workflows and delivery
• Desktop app (Tauri) reuses the same React UI with native capabilities
• Backend is deployed on AWS EC2 with environment-based configuration and process management

Special focus was given to workspace isolation to ensure users only access relevant data within their own environment.

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Challenges

• Designing secure workspace and project-level isolation
• Implementing reliable JWT-based authentication
• Integrating real-time notification workflows using Novu
• Managing complex frontend state across tasks, projects, and filters
• Deploying and configuring backend services on AWS
• Handling API communication in desktop environment (CORS / HTTP limitations)
• Designing a clear project-level timeline visualization (Gantt) without overcomplicating the UI

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Solutions

• Implemented strict workspace and project-based validation in backend APIs
• Used JWT with controlled expiration and secure password hashing
• Integrated Novu workflows for scalable notifications
• Used Zustand for efficient and predictable global state management
• Deployed backend on AWS EC2 with proper environment configuration and process handling
• Used Tauri HTTP plugin to handle secure API communication in desktop environment
• Built a project-level Gantt system using structured month-based planning to keep the UI simple and performant

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Outcome

The result is a scalable, production-ready task management system available on both web and desktop platforms, with structured project-based workflows, strong security, and real-time collaboration capabilities.