Case study · Flagship project
VinAudit Data
Building a Unified Platform for Automotive Data APIs
- Role
- Software Developer / Key Contributor
- Employer
- VinAudit
- Launch
- Category
- Automotive Data API for B2B Clients
Project overview
VinAudit Data gives businesses and developers one place to discover and evaluate automotive data APIs. The public platform presents vehicle data products that include specifications and VIN decoding, vehicle history, vehicle images, and market information such as listings and values.
It is aimed at teams that need vehicle data inside their own products, including dealers, marketplaces, lenders, insurers, fleet operators, and software companies. The public site also describes API and dataset access, documentation, and a free trial plan with a limited number of queries.
The platform launched in August 2026. I contributed from early portal development through that production launch.
Business problem
Automotive data is not one product. Specifications, history, images, and market information answer different questions, and each one needs to be understandable to a business that is deciding whether to integrate it.
A single customer experience has to carry product discovery, account creation, email verification, and a practical way to evaluate an API. Around that journey, product content has to stay editable, meaningful steps have to be measurable, and public forms need a basic defense against automated abuse.
I worked across product discovery, onboarding, API evaluation, content, analytics, and protection for public forms.
My role and responsibilities
I am a software developer at VinAudit and a key contributor to VinAudit Data. I helped take the portal from early development through the August 2026 production launch, covering customer-facing software, integrations, and launch delivery.
Implemented
Customer-facing behavior I built.
- Developed customer-facing product pages and interfaces.
- Implemented multi-step registration and login workflows, including email verification.
- Built customer-facing trial API testing experiences and lead capture workflows.
- Implemented analytics and conversion events.
Integrated
Systems I connected to the application.
- Integrated AI-assisted business classification using Gemini.
- Integrated CMS-managed product content.
Supported
Areas I contributed to without owning the whole system.
- Supported account and usage-related workflows.
- Contributed to QA, deployment workflows, and production launch readiness.
Built with the team
I was a key contributor to the portal, not the sole author of every system.
- Helped build a modern B2B automotive data portal using Next.js, React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, Strapi, and Cloudflare.
Technology stack
Technologies used on VinAudit Data.
- Next.js 15
- React
- TypeScript
- Tailwind CSS
- Strapi 5
- Cloudflare
- REST APIs
- Gemini AI
- Google Analytics 4
- Google Tag Manager
- reCAPTCHA
Technical architecture
The customer application is Next.js 15 with React, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS. Strapi 5 supplies product content. REST APIs serve the automotive data. Gemini classifies businesses in lead workflows. Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager record conversion events. reCAPTCHA protects public forms, and Cloudflare delivers the application.
Public traffic reaches the Next.js application through Cloudflare. The application then uses the content, data, classification, measurement, and form-protection systems named in the project record. Account and usage workflows sit in that application. They are not drawn as a separate service.
01
Delivery
Cloudflare is part of how the application is deployed and delivered.
02
Customer interface
Next.js 15, React, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS render the public portal, product pages, registration, and trial experiences.
03
Content management
Strapi 5 manages product-related content that the Next.js application presents to customers.
04
Automotive data
REST APIs supply the vehicle data services that customers discover and evaluate.
05
Lead classification
Gemini assists business classification inside lead workflows.
06
Measurement
Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager record analytics and conversion events.
07
Form protection
reCAPTCHA protects public flows that need a check for automated submissions.
Key features
01Customer registration and onboarding
I implemented multi-step registration and login so a prospective customer could create an account and return to it. Email verification is part of that workflow, which gives the platform a confirmed contact before someone relies on the account for evaluation or later use.
I also supported account and usage-related workflows around that onboarding path, so the account remained useful after the first signup.
02API trial experience
I built customer-facing trial experiences so developers and potential customers could evaluate the automotive data services in the portal. A trial is how a technical buyer inspects a data product before integrating it into their own system.
The live site includes a free trial plan with a limited number of queries. I built the customer-facing testing experience used to evaluate those services.
03AI-assisted business classification
Lead capture is more useful when the team can tell what kind of business is asking. I integrated Gemini so lead workflows could classify a business with AI assistance.
04CMS-driven content
Product content changes as offerings are added and explained. Strapi 5 is the content management system for product-related content, and I integrated that content into the Next.js application.
Customer-facing product pages can therefore stay aligned with the catalog without treating every wording change as an application release.
05Analytics and conversion tracking
I implemented analytics and conversion events with Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager. The instrumentation covers meaningful steps in the customer journey, including registration and evaluation.
06Security and quality assurance
reCAPTCHA is part of the project stack and protects public flows from automated abuse. I also supported performance and security improvements on the production properties I work on.
For the launch, I contributed to quality assurance, deployment workflows, and production readiness.
Engineering highlights
Typed application UI
Customer-facing pages and flows built with Next.js 15, React, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS.
Account journey
Multi-step registration, login, and email verification for new customers.
Hands-on evaluation
Trial API surfaces where a developer can exercise an automotive data service.
Editable product catalog
Strapi 5 content integrated into the public product pages.
Measured funnel
GA4 and Google Tag Manager events for analytics and conversion tracking.
Launch discipline
reCAPTCHA, QA, deployment workflows, and production readiness for the August 2026 release.
Engineering challenges
- One customer journey has to carry product discovery, account creation, email verification, and a practical way to evaluate an API.
- Product content has to stay editable as offerings are added and explained.
- Registration and evaluation need measurable conversion events, not only a pageview.
- Public forms need a basic defense against automated submissions.
- The August 2026 launch needed quality assurance, deployment workflows, and production readiness together with the new customer-facing work.
Solutions and technical decisions
Typed customer application
The customer application is Next.js 15 with React, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS. That is the surface for product pages, registration, and trial experiences.
Editable catalog
Strapi 5 holds product-related content. I integrated that content into the Next.js application so catalog wording can change without an application release.
Confirmed accounts
I implemented multi-step registration and login, including email verification, so the platform has a confirmed contact before the account is used for evaluation.
Evaluation inside the product
I built customer-facing trial experiences so a developer can evaluate the automotive data services. The live site describes a free trial plan with a limited number of queries.
Assisted classification
I integrated Gemini so lead workflows can classify a business with AI assistance. Classification supports follow-up. It does not replace registration or email verification.
Measurement, protection, and delivery
I implemented analytics and conversion events with Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager. reCAPTCHA protects public flows. Cloudflare delivers the application. I also contributed to QA, deployment workflows, and production readiness for the launch.
Results and business impact
- A customer-facing B2B platform was delivered and launched in production in August 2026.
- Onboarding experiences, including multi-step registration, login, and email verification, were implemented.
- API trial functionality is available for evaluating automotive data services.
- Product content and analytics are integrated into the customer experience.
- The launch was supported with QA, deployment workflows, and production readiness work.
Lessons learned
The catalog is several data products. Specifications, history, images, and market information answer different questions, and the public site has to make that distinction before a business integrates.
Account creation is part of the product. Email verification establishes a confirmed contact before the account is used for evaluation.
Product wording changes more often than application code. Keeping it in Strapi avoids treating every catalog edit as a release.
A lead is more useful when the team knows what kind of business is asking. Gemini assists that step inside the existing lead workflow.
Shipping the portal also meant form protection, measurement, QA, and deployment work, not only the screens a visitor sees first.
Live project
VinAudit Data is in production at data.vinaudit.com.