Hello, world! In this first post on my blog, I want to introduce you to a project I've been passionately working on for a long time: Araca Bak (which translates to "Look at the Car"). For me, this project is more than just a pile of code; it's a reflection of my quest to find technological solutions to the problems I've faced as a car owner and the story of my journey in bringing an idea to life.
Araca Bak: Where Did the Idea Come From?
It all started with a simple question: "It's time for my car's maintenance, but how do I know which parts need to be replaced and which service center I can trust?" Vehicle maintenance can often be a non-transparent, confusing, and stressful process. The idea of creating a digital solution to problems like price uncertainty, the difficulty of finding the right service center, and the complexity of tracking maintenance processes formed the foundation of the Araca Bak project.
Solutions Offered by the Platform
Araca Bak is an intelligent platform that brings car owners and maintenance services together on a fair and transparent ground. Let's take a closer look at the key features that make users' lives easier:
- Detailed Maintenance Wizard: This feature is the backbone of the project. When you enter your vehicle's make, model, year, and mileage, it provides a list of all parts that need to be replaced or checked according to the manufacturer's periodic maintenance schedule. The era of "whatever the mechanic says" is over!
- Find Services and Get Quotes: The platform lists the service centers closest to your location or those specializing in your vehicle's brand. You can request price quotes from these services for your selected maintenance package with a single click. This allows you to compare prices and make the best decision based on user reviews.
- Comprehensive Management Panel: In our panel, called "My Garage," you can add all your vehicles and track Motor Vehicle Tax (MTV) payments, insurance, and inspection dates. You can even calculate your vehicle's monthly cost by recording your fuel expenses.
- Digital Showcase for Businesses: Service centers can create their own profiles on the platform to display their services, areas of expertise, and contact information. They can manage incoming maintenance requests, submit quotes directly to customers, and reach more clients in the digital world.
The Project's Technical Architecture
While bringing this project to life, I opted for scalable, reliable, and modern technologies. Let's take a look under the hood together:
- Backend: I chose the Python (Flask) framework as the project's engine due to its lightness and flexibility. The RESTful API structure provides a solid foundation for both the web interface and future mobile applications. Libraries like
Flask-SQLAlchemyfor database operations andFlask-Loginfor user authorization accelerated the development process. - Database: I opted for PostgreSQL as the relational database for storing persistent data (users, vehicles, services, maintenance records, etc.). For temporary data requiring speed, caching, and user sessions, I used Redis. This combination offers a powerful mix of data integrity and performance.
- Frontend: To build the user interface, I used TailwindCSS, which offers a fast and modern approach. This utility-first CSS framework allowed me to create flexible and fully responsive designs directly within the HTML without having to write custom CSS files.
- External Services (APIs): I leveraged several external services to make the platform more functional. I integrated the Google Places API for displaying services on a map, the Brevo API for email notifications (registration confirmation, password reset, maintenance reminders), and apisepeti.com to display real-time fuel prices.
Future Vision and Lessons Learned
For me, Araca Bak is a living and constantly evolving project. The biggest lesson I learned during this process was understanding how important it is to continuously improve the user experience, alongside overcoming the technical challenges of bringing an idea to life.
In the future, I plan to develop an Android application for mobile devices, enable online appointment booking with service centers, and integrate secure payment systems. My goal is to make Araca Bak an indispensable companion for every car owner in Turkey. If you'd like to take a closer look at the project or contribute, you can browse its code.
You can visit the live project and see it in action at www.aracabak.com. I'm open to all kinds of feedback and suggestions!