Building an Offline-First NGO Site with Admin-Controlled Content

Goal:

• Works with poor internet
• Non-technical admin can update content

Architecture

Frontend:

• React PWA

Backend:

• Node + MongoDB

1. PWA Setup

• Cache static assets
• Cache API responses
• Offline fallback

2. Store FAQs as data

{
  "question": "How to apply?",
  "answer": "Fill the form...",
  "category": "Application",
  "published": true
}

No hardcoding.

3. Admin Panel

Keep simple:

• Add/Edit/Delete
• Publish toggle
• Category selection

4. Sync Strategy

Online:

• Fetch latest data

Offline:

• Serve cached data

Conflict:

• Last write wins

5. Search

• Store lowercase
• Add keywords
• Client-side filtering

6. Deployment

• Simple hosting
• Minimal infra
• Add logging

What mattered

• Simplicity
• Reliability
• Admin usability

If admin cannot use it, system fails.