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2025 - Vanshika Sabharwal

About me​

I’m Vanshika Sabharwal, a 3rd-year B.Tech student and open-source contributor.
I’ve been actively contributing to The Palisadoes Foundation projects and have previously participated in programs like GSSoC and SSOC.
I’m passionate about frontend & backend development, Docker, DevOps, and building stable, scalable systems.

Project overview​

Project Title: API Improvement and Stability of the Backend to Handle Heavy Traffic (Permanent CORS Fix)

This project focused on enhancing the reliability and robustness by:

  • Permanently resolving CORS issues across both admin and API endpoints.
  • Improving stability under heavy load through better Docker practices, and API testing.
  • Documenting and maintaining all security and deployment enhancements for future contributors.

Project recap​

Over the summer, I:

  • Implemented a permanent solution for CORS errors locally and on deployed site.
  • Added a Docker port check command to prevent port conflicts before deployments.
  • Updated the Posts page to get back the features on both Admin and User Portal.
  • Redesigning the Posts page for both Admin and User Portal.
  • Deployed Talawa Admin (test.talawa.io) and Talawa API (api-test.talawa.io) with Peter.

Completed work​

Key PRs and contributions:

  • Talawa API

    • #3500: Fixed CORS Configuration for Frontend-Backend Communication
    • #3508: Port check command for Docker.
    • #3560: Updated pull-request.yml to include postgres readiness check
    • #3589: Updated Doc for Port Check Script

  • Talawa Admin

    • #4040: Restoring posts page features on User Portal.
    • #4058: Restoring posts page features on Admin Portal
    • #4217: Redesigning the User and Admin Portal for better UI/UX

  • Talawa Docs

Current state​

  • CORS issues between admin and API are resolved through configuration.
  • Dockerized deployment flow now includes a port check to avoid conflicts.
  • Talawa Admin and User Portal has Posts page recovered totally.
  • Documentation for CORS, Docker, and deployment is complete and live in Talawa Docs.
  • Talawa Admin and Talawa API are successfully deployed and stable.

What remains​

  • Continuous improvement in Docker and security testing.
  • Monitoring performance under heavier production-like traffic.

Challenges and lessons learned​

Challenges:

  • Debugging CORS issues across multiple domains and frameworks.
  • Writting Unit tests for frontend and backend code.
  • Maintaining CI/CD consistency across multiple services.

Lessons Learned:

  • Importance of domain configuration and best practices.
  • Writting unit tests is all about how deeply you understand the code.
  • Value of clear documentation for future contributors.

Conclusion​

This internship has been an incredible learning experience, helping me grow in real-world backend engineering, deployment, and DevOps.
I’m grateful to Mr. Peter Harrison and the Palisadoes Foundation for their mentorship and guidance.

I look forward to continuing my open-source journey and contributing to future projects with the same enthusiasm.