International Research Journal of Education and Technology

This short tutorial shows the development process of a clone of the popular social media platform Instagram using the MERN (MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, Node.js) cluster. This project focuses on a better understanding of the key components and functions of building a large and effective social media network.The development process starts with setting up the backend using Node.js and Express.js, which is the basis for performing server-side tasks. MongoDB is a NoSQL database that stores and manages user data, posts, comments and other related information.Towards the end, the powerful JavaScript library React.js was used to create interactive and efficient applications. Items such as user profiles, feeds, photo uploads, likes, comments and notifications are created and used as the main functions of Instagram.User authentication and security play an important role in all social applications. User authentication in this project uses JSON Web Tokens (JWT) and bcrypt for secure password hashing. This ensures that user accounts and information are protected.Also, the project has other features such as following and unfollowing users, direct messaging, a search function, and a search section to increase user interaction and interest. Code modularisation, scalability, and performance are emphasized throughout the entire development process. The simplicity and stability of the MERN group enables the integration of different products and efficient operation of large data sets. In summary, cloning Instagram using the MERN group gives insight into the complex process of creating a social app from scratch. This work includes back-end and front-end development, customer authentication, data management, and many other things that make for a great customer experience. By understanding the underlying structure and context, developers can use this knowledge to build their own social apps or modify existing apps to meet specific needs.

Keywords—MERN, Database, Frontend, Backend, Social media App, Features clone and special feature, High security