HackerFeed - Android App 🤖

Hackernews at your finger tips

Click here to install latest release

Table of Contents

• Features
• Tech Stack & Libraries
• Setup Instructions
  • Prerequisites
  • Cloning the Repository
  • Importing into Android Studio
• Building the APK
  • Debug APK
  • Release APK
• Project Structure (Brief Overview)

Features

• Displays a list of Hackernews.
• Allows users to read complete article.
• Allows users to favorite articles and view them later.
• "About" screen with app information, developer details, and links to portfolio, LinkedIn, and GitHub.
• Modern UI built with Jetpack Compose.

Tech Stack & Libraries

• Language: Kotlin (100%)
• UI Toolkit: Jetpack Compose - Android's modern toolkit for building native UI.
• Architecture: MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel) utilizing Jetpack ViewModel and StateFlow to manage UI state for Composable functions.
• Core Jetpack Libraries:
  • androidx.activity:activity-compose - For Compose integration in Activities.
  • androidx.compose.material3:material3 - Material Design 3 components.
  • androidx.compose.ui:ui-tooling-preview - For Composable previews in Android Studio.
  • androidx.compose.runtime:runtime - Core Compose runtime.
  • androidx.lifecycle:lifecycle-runtime-compose - For observing Lifecycle-aware state.
• Serialization:
  • org.jetbrains.kotlinx:kotlinx-serialization-json - For parsing json response from Hackernews api.
• Navigation: Intent-based navigation between Activities
• Build Tool: Gradle

Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

• Android Studio (Latest stable version recommended)
• Android SDK installed (ensure you have the necessary SDK Platforms and Build Tools).
• Kotlin plugin installed in Android Studio (usually comes bundled).
• An Android device or Emulator (API level 24+ recommended).

Cloning the Repository

git clone https://github.com/vpk11/HackerFeed.git
cd HackerFeed

Importing into Android Studio

1. Open Android Studio.
2. Select File > New > Import Project... (or Open an existing Android Studio project from the welcome screen).
3. Navigate to the directory where you cloned or extracted the project (HackerFeed folder).
4. Select the root build.gradle file or the project directory itself.
5. Click OK.
6. Android Studio will then sync the project with Gradle. This might take a few minutes, especially on the first import, as it downloads necessary dependencies.

Building the APK

Debug APK

A debug APK is useful for testing and development.

1. In Android Studio, select Build > Build Bundle(s) / APK(s) > Build APK(s).
2. Once the build is complete, a notification will appear in the bottom-right corner of Android Studio.
3. Click on the locate link in the notification.
4. This will open the app/build/outputs/apk/debug/ directory, where you'll find app-debug.apk.
5. You can install this APK directly onto an Android device or emulator.

Alternatively, running the app directly on a connected device or emulator from Android Studio (by clicking the "Run" button) will also build and install a debug version.

Release APK

A release APK is a signed version of your app, ready for distribution (e.g., on the Google Play Store or other platforms).

Important: Before building a release APK, you need to set up signing configurations.

1. Generate an Upload Key and Keystore:
   • If you don't have one, follow the official Android documentation: Sign your app
2. Configure Signing in build.gradle:
   • Open your module-level build.gradle (e.g., app/build.gradle or app/build.gradle.kts).
   • Add a signingConfigs block and configure your release build type to use it.
   • Security Note: It's highly recommended to store your keystore passwords securely (e.g., in keystore.properties and add that file to .gitignore, or use environment variables in a CI/CD system) rather than hardcoding them in build.gradle. See the "Secure your keys" section in the official docs.
3. Build the Release APK:
   • In Android Studio, select Build > Generate Signed Bundle / APK....
   • Choose APK and click Next.
   • Select your keystore, enter passwords, and choose your key alias. Click Next.
   • Choose the destination folder for the signed APK.
   • Select the build variant (e.g., release).
   • Click Finish (or Create).
   • The signed APK will be generated in the specified destination folder (usually app/release/app-release.apk).

Project Structure

The project follows Clean Architecture principles with clear separation of concerns across three main layers:

Presentation Layer

• Activities: Main UI screens including news feed, favourites, settings, and about pages
• ViewModels: presentation/ - State management and business logic coordination
• UI Components: components/ - Reusable Compose components for consistent UI

Domain Layer

• Models: domain/model/ - Core business entities and data models
• Use Cases: domain/usecase/ - Single-responsibility business operations
• Repository Interfaces: domain/repository/ - Data access contracts

Data Layer

• API Service: data/ - Retrofit service for Hacker News API integration
• Data Sources: data/datasource/ - Remote API and local database data sources
• Repository Implementations: data/repository/ - Concrete data access with caching
• Cache Management: data/cache/ - Intelligent caching with automatic expiration
• Database: database/ - Room database for offline storage and favourites

Supporting Infrastructure

• Dependency Injection: di/ - Manual DI container and ViewModel factory
• UI Theming: ui/theme/ - Material Design 3 theme system
• Resources: app/src/main/res/ - App resources (drawables, strings, etc.)

Key Architecture Features

• MVVM Pattern: Clear separation between UI and business logic
• Clean Architecture: Domain-driven design with dependency inversion
• Repository Pattern: Abstracted data access with local caching
• Use Case Pattern: Single-responsibility business operations
• Manual Dependency Injection: Lightweight DI without external frameworks
• Offline-First: Local caching with automatic expiration
• Material Design 3: Modern UI following Google's design guidelines