The Payment Problem: A Tale of Triumph

As a software engineer for the mobile app Ravitoon, I faced one of the most challenging problems of my career: a payment system issue that threatened to undermine the entire app. It was a frustrating experience, but with the right tools and a lot of hard work, we were ultimately able to identify and solve the problem. The Problem Ravitoon is a mobile app that allows users to purchase and read digital comics. Our payment system was a critical part of the app, but we started receiving reports that payments weren't going through and users were being charged multiple times for the same purchase. This was a serious issue that needed to be addressed quickly, as it was affecting our revenue and user experience. The Investigation We started investigating the issue by looking at our server logs and user reports. We found that some payments were being processed multiple times, while others weren't being processed at all. We also noticed that error messages were unclear and unhelpful, which made it difficult for users to understand what was going on. The Solution To solve the problem, we took several steps: Improved Logging We added more detailed logging to the payment system, including timestamps and user IDs. This helped us trace the payment flow and identify where the issue was occurring. We also implemented a logging system that allowed us to monitor the payment system in real-time. Bug Tracker and Reporting System We implemented a bug tracker and reporting system that allowed users to report issues and track their status. This helped us keep track of reported issues and prioritize them based on severity. Error Handling We improved error handling in our code to provide clear error messages to users. We also added checks to prevent the same payment from being processed multiple times. Payment Provider We reached out to our payment provider and worked with them to identify any issues on their end. They were able to fix some issues that were causing payments to be processed multiple times. The Triumph After several days of investigation and testing, we were finally able to identify and fix the issue. Payments were being processed correctly, and users were no longer being charged multiple times for the same purchase. The improved logging and bug tracker also helped us identify and fix other issues in the payment system that we hadn't even been aware of. The Importance of Good Logging Tools and Bug Tracker This experience taught us the importance of having good logging tools and a bug tracker and reporting system in place. Without these tools, it would have been much more difficult to identify and solve the issue. The detailed logging allowed us to trace the payment flow and identify where the issue was occurring, while the bug tracker and reporting system helped us keep track of reported issues and prioritize them based on severity. Conclusion As a software engineer, debugging and solving performance issues can be challenging, but with the right tools and persistence, it's always possible to identify and solve the problem. In this particular case, the combination of improved logging, a bug tracker and reporting system, and improved error handling allowed us to identify and fix the issue with the payment system. This experience taught us the importance of having good logging tools and a bug tracker and reporting system in place, and we've carried that lesson with us ever since. So, if you're facing a challenging bug or performance issue, don't give up! With the right tools and a little bit of persistence, you can triumph over any problem and deliver a better experience for your users.