DragonCandy - From No-Code Growing Pains to a Scalable React & TypeScript Marketplace

DragonCandy had traction — the kind most startups dream of.

Restaurants were signing up. Creators were applying daily. Brands started asking for deeper campaign analytics.

But behind the scenes, things were getting fragile.

During peak hours, dashboards took seconds to load. Campaign creation flows broke unexpectedly. Creators messaged support instead of clients because the UX was confusing. The team felt like they were firefighting instead of building.

The original no-code setup helped DragonCandy move fast — but it had reached its ceiling.

They needed:

• Predictable performance under load
• A clean, consistent experience for three very different user roles
• A frontend that could evolve without breaking every other feature
• A codebase that engineers could actually reason about

In short: they needed to grow up — technically.

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DragonCandy wasn’t looking for “more features.”
They were looking for confidence.

They chose RapidDev because we specialize in helping products cross that exact boundary — from MVP chaos to production-ready systems.

Our proposal was clear:

• Move critical user flows to React with TypeScript for stability and speed
• Introduce a scalable backend powered by Supabase
• Redesign UX around real user behavior, not assumptions
• Build an architecture that would survive growth — not just today, but a year from now
  

From the first technical audit, it became obvious: this wasn’t just a redesign — it was a reset.

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A Marketplace That Feels Effortless — Even Under Load

We rebuilt the core frontend using React with TypeScript. Why?

• Type safety eliminated entire classes of runtime bugs
• React component architecture allowed us to separate logic cleanly between creators, restaurants, and brands
• TypeScript made onboarding new developers dramatically faster
• Performance optimizations became measurable, not guesswork
  

For the DragonCandy team, this was the first time the product felt “solid” instead of fragile.

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Multi-Role Dashboards
Creators, restaurants, and brands each received purpose-built dashboards — not just different views, but entirely different workflows.

Creators instantly understood where to apply, restaurants saw campaign ROI at a glance, and brands finally had clarity instead of spreadsheets.

Real-Time Messaging System
Direct, in-platform communication replaced messy email threads and lost messages.

Dragon Feed
A live feed where restaurants could discover creators, review content, and interact without friction.

Performance-First Frontend
React + TypeScript allowed us to:

• Reduce unnecessary re-renders
• Optimize state management
• Cut load times in half
  

Secure, Compliant Backend
Supabase handled authentication, permissions, and real-time data — fully GDPR-compliant from day one.

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The difference after launch was immediate — and measurable.

• 5,000+ creators onboarded in the first month with zero downtime
• 200% increase in engagement, driven by clearer flows and faster UI
• 30% revenue growth from brand sponsorships within one quarter
• 50% faster load times, even during traffic peaks
  

Most importantly: the DragonCandy team stopped worrying about the platform breaking — and started focusing on growth.