Frontend Engineer. Building Mentisy (a secure photo-swap app). Expert in Next.js, React & Tailwind CSS. NIT Allahabad.

Shubham Verma  • Peerlist

The Problem: We all have that friend who views a photo but never replies, or leaves you on "read." The social contract of "fair exchange" is broken on most messaging apps.The Solution: Meet Mentisy — A "Fair Photo Swap" platform where the recipient cannot see what you sent until they send a photo back. It enforces a strict 1:1 exchange of value using a cryptographic "Reply-to-Reveal" protocol.<h3>🛠️ Built With (Tech Stack)</h3>I engineered Mentisy to feel like a native app while running entirely on the web.<ul><li>Frontend: Next.js 14 (App Router), TypeScript, Tailwind CSS</li><li>Backend: Convex (Real-time Database + Serverless Functions)</li><li>Auth: Clerk (Metadata-based role management)</li><li>Storage: UploadThing (with orphan file cleanup)</li><li>Deployment: Vercel (Edge Network)</li></ul><h3>✨ Key Features</h3><ul><li>🔒 Zero-Trust Security: It's not just a UI blur. The server explicitly strips the sensitive image URL from the API response until the "Swap" transaction is verified. You can't cheat by inspecting the Network tab!</li><li>📱 Native-Grade PWA: Built with the Web Share Target API. You can share a photo directly from your Android/iOS Gallery to Mentisy without opening the browser first.</li><li>⏳ Server-Side Self-Destruct: Ephemeral messaging that relies on robust backend schedulers (Convex), not just client-side timers, ensuring data is wiped even if the user closes the tab.</li><li>🎮 Game Modes: Includes "Reveal Rush" (First to answer wins) and "PicSwap" (Classic fair trade), handling high-concurrency race conditions gracefully.</li></ul><h3>🧠 Engineering Challenges Solved</h3><ul><li>The "Invisible Timer" Problem: Implemented a "Preload-then-Reveal" logic to ensure users on slow 3G networks get the full viewing duration after buffering, maintaining fairness across devices.</li><li>Atomic Transactions: Solved the "Double-Spend" problem where users could try to swap one photo for multiple secrets using ACID database transactions.</li></ul>

Mentisy

It is a React app project designed to help users search for movies using the OMDB API. –Tools & technologies used: React, HTML, Styled Components, npm, Axios, OMDB API, VS Code. –On entering the title of a movie Film Finder sends a request to the OMDB API and retrieves a list of movies matching the title. –It utilizes debouncing to optimize the movie search functionality, enhancing user experience by minimizing unnecessary API requests.

Film Finder – Movie Search App

Our goal was to build a gesture-controlled bot that moves based on hand gestures captured by a camera. The camera picks up the gestures and sends the output to an Arduino UNO via Wi-Fi, using a NodeMCU module. The Arduino then interprets these inputs and controls the bot's movements in real time. It’s an exciting application of the Internet of Things (IoT), combining gesture recognition, wireless communication, and automation to create a seamless, interactive experience. Team members: Shubham Verma (20213132) Sumit Mishra (20213065).

Gesture Control Bot

- Developed a bot that recognizes hand gestures using OpenCV and MediaPipe for gesture detection. - Implemented data transfer using urllib between Python and NodeMCU to control motor functions. - Showcased innovative use of computer vision to solve real-world challenges.

Gesture Controlled Bot (Project)

A React-based web app that helps users practice creative writing by generating daily random image prompts using the Unsplash API. – Tools & Technologies: React, HTML, Tailwind CSS, JavaScript, Unsplash API, npm, VS Code – On loading the app or clicking the reload button, it fetches a new landscape image using the Unsplash API and displays it. – Includes a sleek text editor for users to write their thoughts or stories inspired by the image. – Fully responsive design with a modern UI built using Tailwind CSS.

Pictory - Daily English Writing Practice Weba

- Created a modern take on the classic game using React and Tailwind CSS. - Added advanced features like dark mode and neon glow effects to enhance user engagement.