CommonPlace Documentation

Welcome to the complete technical documentation for CommonPlace, an anti-addictive social media platform.

What is CommonPlace?

CommonPlace is a social media platform built on fundamentally different principles than mainstream social networks. Instead of maximizing engagement through addictive patterns, CommonPlace prioritizes:

• Calm over urgency — No notifications demanding immediate attention
• Connection over metrics — No likes, follower counts, or viral mechanics
• Intention over impulse — Users declare their intent before posting
• Privacy as infrastructure — Protection built into the architecture, not bolted on

The platform serves friends-only networks where genuine connection matters more than audience building.

Who This Documentation Is For

• New developers joining the project
• Current developers looking up implementation details
• Maintainers understanding system architecture
• Auditors reviewing security and privacy implementations

Quick Navigation

I want to...	Go to...
Understand the project philosophy	Philosophy & Invariants
Set up local development	Quick Start
Understand the architecture	Architecture Overview
Find a specific feature	Features
Look up a component	Components
Look up a hook	Hooks
Understand the database	Database

The "Handoff Test"

This documentation is designed to pass the Handoff Test:

If tomorrow the entire project had to be handed to developers 100% unfamiliar with every aspect, they should be able to understand and continue development using only this documentation.

If you find gaps in this documentation, please add to it. Documentation updates are required with every code change.

Tech Stack Overview

Layer	Technology
Frontend	React + Vite
Backend	Supabase (PostgreSQL, Auth, Storage)
Hosting	Netlify
Domain	thecommonplace.social

Getting Help

• Check the Troubleshooting guide
• Review the Architecture for system understanding
• Search this documentation (Ctrl/Cmd + K)