KissnTells
The backend behind a dating and nightlife app — AI matches, real-time rooms, a live nearby map, reels and in-app chat and video calls.
KissnTells is a dating app built around going out — "your night starts here." Beyond swipe-based matching it's a full social layer: an AI-powered Discover feed, a live map showing who's out nearby tonight, interest-based Rooms (nightlife, foodie, karaoke, gym and more) with group chat, short-form reels, one-tap video calls and an in-app coin wallet for rooms and filters. As the backend developer I built the Express services, the Socket.io real-time layer, the Agora video-calling, the geolocation that powers the nearby map, and the in-app coin and purchase system.
The Challenge
This isn't a single-screen dating app — it's matching, real-time 1:1 and group chat, a live location map, reels, video calls and a coin economy, all in one product. The backend had to run all of those together — Socket.io messaging and presence, Agora call sessions, geolocation queries, in-app purchases and push — and keep the real-time, location and matching flows feeling instant and reliable as more people came online.
The Results
I engineered the backend across the app on a Node.js/Express and Prisma stack — swipe matching and the mutual-match flow, interest Rooms with Socket.io group chat and presence, geolocation-driven nearby discovery, one-tap Agora video calls, and an in-app coin wallet and purchases. Around that sat the supporting services: Firebase and APNs push notifications, AWS SES / Nodemailer email, media uploads and scheduled cron jobs — all built to stay responsive as usage grew.
Key Features
AI-powered matching
Swipe-based Discover with AI matches and filters (intent, ethnicity and more), plus the mutual-match “Cheers” flow that opens every match.
Real-time rooms & chat
City and interest Rooms — nightlife, foodie, karaoke, gym — with Socket.io group chat, 1:1 messaging, presence and announcements.
Live nearby map
A geolocation-driven map (built on geolib) showing who’s out nearby tonight, with opt-in location sharing and presence.
Agora video calls
One-tap in-app video calls over Agora token-based sessions, alongside chat with photos, video, GIFs and short-form reels.
Coins & in-app purchases
An in-app coin economy and purchase / subscription plans that unlock rooms, filters and premium features.
Push, email & cron
Firebase + APNs push notifications, transactional email via AWS SES / Nodemailer, media uploads and scheduled node-cron jobs.