Admin Panel System

Design an admin panel system for managing data, users, and system configuration.

R - Requirements

Key Questions:

• How many entities? (users, products, orders, etc.)
• CRUD operations? (create, read, update, delete)
• Permissions? (role-based access control)
• Bulk operations? (delete multiple, update multiple)
• Advanced filters? (date range, search, multi-select)
• Export data? (CSV, Excel, PDF)

Common Answers:

• Multiple entities (10-20+)
• Full CRUD operations
• Role-based permissions (admin, editor, viewer)
• Bulk operations supported
• Advanced filtering and search
• Export to CSV/Excel

A - Architecture

CRUD Operations Flow:

Admin Panel Architecture:

Architecture Decisions:

• SSR/ISR for admin pages (SEO less critical, but faster loads) - Faster initial load
• Client-side for interactivity (filters, tables) - Fast filtering, sorting
• Permission system (frontend + backend validation) - Hide features, backend enforces
• Microfrontends? (if multiple teams manage different sections) - Independent deployments

Relevant Content:

• Pre-rendering - SSR/ISR
• Microfrontends - Multi-team

D - Data Model

Talking Points:

• CRUD operations - Create, Read, Update, Delete with optimistic UI
• Advanced table features - Sorting, filtering, pagination, selection
• Bulk operations - Select multiple, batch update/delete
• Permission system - Role-based access, hide/show features

State Management:

• Entity data (normalized cache)
• Table state (sort, filter, pagination, selection)
• Form state (create/edit modals)
• Permission state (user roles, feature flags)

Caching:

• Entity cache (normalized, by ID)
• Table cache (filtered/sorted results)
• Permission cache (user roles, feature access)

Relevant Content:

• Data Table Component - Table patterns
• Caching Patterns - Entity cache
• Optimistic Updates - CRUD operations

I - Interface

Talking Points:

• Admin dashboard - Overview metrics, charts, recent activity
• Entity list pages - Data tables with filters, search, pagination
• Entity detail pages - View/edit forms, related data, history
• Bulk operations UI - Select all, batch actions, progress indicators

Features:

• Dashboard (metrics, charts, widgets)
• Entity list (data table, filters, search)
• Entity detail (view/edit form)
• Create/Edit modals (form with validation)
• Bulk operations (select multiple, batch actions)
• Permission-based UI (hide/show features)

Relevant Content:

• Data Table Component - Advanced tables
• Modal Dialog Component - Create/edit modals
• Dashboard/Analytics - Dashboard patterns

O - Optimizations

Performance:

• Virtualized tables (for large datasets)
• Optimistic UI (show changes immediately, sync in background)
• Request deduplication (same entity = same request)
• Code splitting (lazy load entity modules)

UX:

• Bulk operations (select all, batch actions)
• Advanced filters (save filter presets)
• Export functionality (CSV, Excel, background job)

Relevant Content:

• Virtualized List - Large tables
• Optimistic Updates - Instant feedback
• Request Deduplication - Avoid duplicates

Implementation Checklist

• Dashboard (metrics, charts, widgets)
• Entity list pages (data table, filters, search)
• Entity detail pages (view/edit forms)
• Create/Edit modals (form validation)
• Bulk operations (select multiple, batch actions)
• Advanced filters (date range, multi-select, save presets)
• Permission system (role-based UI, feature flags)
• Export functionality (CSV, Excel, background job)
• Virtualized tables (large datasets)
• Optimistic UI (instant feedback)

Common Pitfalls

❌ No optimistic UI → Slow, unresponsive
✅ Show changes immediately, sync in background

❌ Rendering all rows → Performance issues
✅ Virtualize tables, paginate or infinite scroll

❌ No permission checks → Security issues
✅ Frontend + backend validation, hide features based on role

❌ No bulk operations → Inefficient for large datasets
✅ Select multiple, batch update/delete, show progress