Aphelions's Apex

Web application for exploring API data from astronomy.

Currently featuring JWST (James Webb Space Telescope) imagery and data through an interactive gallery interface.

Tech Stack

• Framework: SvelteKit 5 with TypeScript
• Build Tool: Vite
• Runtime: Node.js
• Testing: Vitest + Playwright
• Process Manager: PM2 (production)
• Web Server: Nginx

Deployment

• Hosting: VPS (Ubuntu 24.04)
• SSL: Let's Encrypt (HTTPS)
• Process Management: PM2 ecosystem config (no .env files in production)
• Deployment Script: deploy.sh
• Production URL: https://aphelions-apex.dev

API Integration

• Data Source: JWST API (jwstapi.com)
• Pattern: Server-side wrappers with normalization pipeline - raw API data is fetched, cached, normalized, and passed to the UI as typed, validated items
• Validation: All filters validated server-side before external calls
• Caching: In-memory cache with TTL (5 minutes) based on filter parameters
• Rendering: Server-side via +page.server.ts (no client-side data fetching)
• State: URL-based filters and pagination ("Load More" pattern)

Styling System

• Engine: Panda CSS (build-time atomic CSS)
• Tokens: Semantic design tokens for colors, spacing, typography, and radius
• Layouts: Centralized primitives in src/lib/styles/layout.ts (shell, header, contained, fullBleed)
• Recipes: Reusable component recipes (button, card, input) in src/lib/styles/recipes/
• Patterns: Built-in flex/grid utilities (stack, hstack, grid)
• Rules: No inline Tailwind classes, no <style> blocks, zero runtime CSS

License

Code is licensed under MIT. Original artwork and graphics in /src/assets/ are © 2026 Clemens Wähner — all rights reserved. Third-party assets are subject to their respective licenses.