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+# OpenDC Web UI
+
+The user-facing component of the OpenDC stack, allowing users to build and interact with their own (virtual)
+datacenters. Built in *React.js* and *Redux*, with the help of [Next.js](https://nextjs.org/).
+
+## Architecture
+
+The codebase follows a standard React.js structure, with static assets being contained in the `public` folder, while
+dynamic components and their styles are contained in `src`.
+
+### Pages
+
+All pages are represented by a component in the `pages` directory, following
+the [Next.js conventions](https://nextjs.org/docs/routing/introduction) for routing. There are components for the
+following pages:
+
+1. **index.js** - Entry page (`/`)
+2. **projects/index.js** - Overview of projects of the user (`/projects`)
+3. **projects/[project]/index.js** - Main application, with datacenter construction and simulation UI (`/projects/:projectId`
+and `/projects/:projectId/portfolios/:portfolioId`)
+4. **profile.js** - Profile of the current user (`/profile`)
+5. **404.js** - 404 page to appear when the route is invalid (`/*`)
+
+### Components & Containers
+
+The building blocks of the UI are divided into so-called *components* and *containers* 
+([as encouraged](https://medium.com/@dan_abramov/smart-and-dumb-components-7ca2f9a7c7d0) by the author of Redux). 
+*Components* are considered 'pure', rendered as a function of input properties. *Containers*, on the other hand,
+are wrappers around *components*, injecting state through the properties of the components they wrap.
+
+Even the canvas (the main component of the app) is built using React components, with the help of the `react-konva`
+module. To illustrate: A rectangular object on the canvas is defined in a way that is not very different from how we
+define a standard `div` element on the splash page.
+
+### API Interaction
+
+The web-app needs to pull data in from the API of a backend running on a server. The functions that call routes are
+located in `src/api`. The actual logic responsible for calling these functions is contained in `src/data`.
+
+### State Management
+
+State for the topology editor is managed via a Redux store. State is kept there in an immutable form, only to be modified through
+actions being dispatched. These actions are contained in the `actions` folder, and the reducers (managing how state
+is updated according to dispatched actions) are located in `reducers`. If you're not familiar with the Redux
+approach to state management, have a look at their [official documentation](https://redux.js.org/).
+
+## Running the development server
+
+Before we can start the development server, create a file called `.env` in this directory and specify the base URL of
+the API that the React frontend will communicate with. For instance, if you run the OpenDC development server:
+
+```
+NEXT_PUBLIC_API_BASE_URL=http://localhost:8080/api
+```
+
+Now, you're ready to start the Next.js development server. Run the following command in the root of the repository
+(that is, two levels up where the `gradlew` file is located):
+
+```bash
+./gradlew :opendc-web:opendc-web-ui:nextDev
+```
+
+This will start a development server running on [`localhost:3000`](http://localhost:3000), watching for changes you make
+to the code and rebuilding automatically when you save changes.
+
+To compile everything for camera-ready deployment, use the following command:
+
+```bash
+./gradlew :opendc-web:opendc-web-ui:build
+```
+
+You can then run the production server using Next.js as follows:
+
+```bash
+./gradlew :opendc-web:opendc-web-ui:nextStart
+```
+
+## Tests
+
+Files containing tests can be recognized by the `.test.js` suffix. They are usually located right next to the source
+code they are testing, to make discovery easier.
+
+### Running all tests
+
+The following command runs all tests in the codebase using [Jest](https://jest.io). On top of this, it also watches the
+code for changes and reruns the tests whenever any file is saved.
+
+```bash
+./gradlew :opendc-web:opendc-web-ui:test
+```
+
+## Code Quality
+
+We use [Prettier](https://prettier.io) to ensure the formatting of the JavaScript codebase remains consistent. To format
+the files of the codebase according to the preferred coding style, run the following command:
+
+```bash
+./gradlew :opendc-web:opendc-web-ui:prettierFormat
+```
+
+Furthermore, we also employ [ESLint](https://eslint.org/) (via Next) to detect issues and problematic code in our
+codebase. To check for potential issues, run the following command:
+
+```bash
+./gradlew :opendc-web:opendc-web-ui:nextLint
+```