PontelloApp

Problem

Pontello Imports needed a real e-commerce platform, not a template: customer accounts that an administrator approves before they can transact, a large existing Shopify catalog that had to come across intact, and account flows that do not leak information about who is registered.

Process

I built the platform on ASP.NET Core MVC with C# and SQL Server. The catalog migration became a repeatable CSV import pipeline rather than a one-off script, so the client can re-run it as the source catalog changes. Account management went through an admin approval workflow, and the password reset flow was designed around email enumeration prevention so requests for unknown addresses behave identically to known ones.

Key Decisions

• Server-rendered MVC with Bootstrap instead of a separate SPA: the client gets one deployable app, simpler hosting, and pages that work without a JavaScript build chain.
• Import as a pipeline, not a migration: 706 products across 42 categories load from CSV, and the same path handles future catalog updates.
• Security defaults over convenience: admin approval gates new accounts, and reset emails never reveal whether an address exists.

Outcome

The prototype is live on Azure App Service with the full catalog imported and the approval and reset flows working end to end. The client can manage products, categories, and customer approvals without touching code.