Instagram Clone App | Swift 4 +Firebase | Push Notifications

Build a login screen for an Instagram clone app using Swift, programmatic UI, with model view controller organization, creating text fields, a login button, and layout anchors in Xcode.

Construct the login screen by importing assets, building a centered logo container, adding a bottom-aligned stack and a styled attributed sign-up button, and prepare navigation to the next screen.

Learn to set up a Firebase backend for an Instagram clone by enabling email/password authentication, connecting database and storage, and integrating Firebase with an iOS project using CocoaPods.

Learn how to create a user with Firebase by uploading a profile image via image picker and saving user data and the image URL to storage and database.

Log in with Firebase email and password, validate inputs, and construct an Instagram-style interface via a tab bar controller with home, search, post, notifications, and profile, all in navigation controllers.

Persist user sessions with Firebase by checking current user, adding a sign-out button, and presenting the login controller or main interface, with alert-driven logout and navigation updates.

Set up the user profile UI and header for the Instagram clone app, then fetch current user data from Firebase to populate username, name, profile image, and follower metrics.

Construct a custom user class and connect a profile header to data fetched from the API and database using a model view controller approach, loading username and profile image.

Load a user's profile image from a URL into an image view using a UIImage extension and an image cache to minimize API calls and avoid flicker.

Build a user search interface by populating a search table view with other users, showing profile images and usernames, and tapping opens a user's profile.

Fetch users from Firebase, observe added users, build user objects, and populate the table view with profile images, usernames, and full names.

Learn to track follow status with an is_followed flag, check follow status via database, and update the follow button and user stats using a completion block and an MVC protocol.

Refactor the code by introducing a user profile header protocol and delegate, aligning follow actions with the model‑view‑controller pattern, discuss real‑time updates and completion blocks for API calls.

Implement a followers and following view by turning labels into tappable controls, wiring taps to a dedicated follow view controller with a custom cell via MVC delegates.

Configure the follow button and delegate driven follow actions, implement a single event user fetch extension, and enable navigation to a user profile from the follower list.

Import photos from the library by fetching assets with options and loading them into a collection view; select a photo to update the header with that image.

Create a programmatic upload post UI, navigate to the upload post screen, display the selected image with a caption, and enable publishing to the database.

Learn to upload a post to the database by constructing a post object with caption, image URL, creation date, likes, and owner id, then store it in Firebase.

Define a Swift post class with caption, image URL, likes, owner UID, post id, and creation date. Fetch posts from the database and populate the user profile with them.

Populate the user profile with the current user's posts using a collection view and a user post cell, loading images, and sorting by creation date from newest to oldest.

Develop a custom image view to prevent duplicate post images by tracking the last loaded image URL and synchronizing image loading to avoid flicker in a Swift Instagram clone app.

Build a home feed UI by creating a collection view feed controller and a reusable feed cell with profile image, username button, post image, action buttons, caption, and time label.

Set up feed actions in a Swift 4 app by using a feed cell delegate to handle taps, enrich posts with user data, and navigate to user profiles.

Populate the current user's feed by gathering posts from followed users and updating the feed accordingly, then test by simulating logins and running the update function.

Implement a like system for the instagram clone app by checking whether the user liked a post via firebase single-event observation, updating the like button, and enabling viewing who liked.

Build a comment UI for the Instagram clone by creating a comment view controller with a collection view, integrating Firebase, and using an input accessory view for the comment input.

Fetches and displays real-time comments for a post by observing database changes, safely handling post IDs, and updating the collection view with constructed comment objects.

Dynamically size comment cells using a text view and a dummy cell with system layout size fitting. Adjust anchors and insets, and enable keyboard dismissal for a smooth Instagram-like feed.

Build the notifications UI for the Instagram clone by configuring a table view to show profile images, messages, time, with post previews for likes/comments or a follow button for follows.

Structure notifications by user on the server with checked state, creation date, from user id, type, and optional post id. Send and remove like notifications and explain the model-view-controller approach.

Implement a push notification system for an instagram clone by building a notification class, handling like, comment, and follow types, and uploading events to the server.

Sort notifications by creation date and configure timestamps; extend UIButton to streamline follow button setup, using a timer-based reload approach for stable UI in a Swift Firebase Instagram clone.

Configure a dynamic notification dot for the Instagram clone app and update Firebase to track unchecked notifications. Observe and mark them as read, adapting the tab bar for different devices.

Learn to add a top search bar, implement search bar delegate, and filter users in the table view. Build a programmatic collection view for posts, fetch posts, and handle selection.