Part 2 A path to the minimum
viable product
Now that you understand the layout of an ACH file, it is time to start building a functional ACH dashboard. If it sounds daunting, don’t worry! We will first build various components and then pull them all together into a minimum viable product (MVP).
Chapter 3 begins by setting the environment using Docker. Here we explore the basics of Docker and how to use it when building the project.
Chapter 4 will allow you to get used to working with APIs in Python by utilizing the FastAPI framework. Building basic RESTful APIs to support the dashboard and exploring documentation using OpenAPI will keep you busy.
Chapter 5 discusses database design for storing ACH files inside a Postgres relational database. You will have the opportunity to design a database and see some of the benefits and pitfalls of different designs.
Chapter 6 explores creating a user interface with Next.js, taking us from the backend to the frontend.
Chapter 7 gathers all the pieces created in the previous chapters and puts them together in an MVP that you will be able to turn over to the stakeholders.
At the end of this part, you should have an ACH dashboard that you can be proud of. This is really the starting point of the project. After the project goes live, you will begin receiving various enhancement requests from the stakeholders.