Development of a Web-Based Barter Platform Using Node.js
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35870/ijsecs.v6i3.8255Keywords:
Barter, Web Platform, Node.Js, Recommendation System, System Usability ScaleAbstract
Before the emergence of modern currency systems, human economic transactions were conducted through barter, the direct exchange of goods or services. However, contemporary barter faces persistent operational friction, including the difficulty of establishing a double coincidence of wants, the absence of standardized exchange values, and inefficient manual matching. To address these challenges, this study develops a responsive, token-free web barter platform prototype engineered using the Waterfall development model. The system utilizes Node.js and the Fastify backend framework for high-throughput, non-blocking asynchronous request processing, paired with an EJS and Webix presentation layer and a PostgreSQL relational database. To streamline partner discovery, the platform couples PostgreSQL full-text search and trigram similarity matching (pg_trgm) for typo tolerance with an automated recommendation pipeline driven by recent search history. To mitigate cold-start friction for new users, the recommendation mechanism incorporates an adaptive fallback strategy that prioritizes listings by visit frequency. User data security is enforced through HTTP-only JSON Web Token (JWT) session handling, bcrypt cryptographic password hashing, and strict AJV schema validation. Functional verification via Black-Box testing achieved a 100% success rate across 16 transactional scenarios, while an OWASP ZAP active scan detected zero high-risk vulnerabilities. Performance benchmarking with Grafana k6 confirmed robust backend efficiency, recording a 95th percentile response time of 205.58 ms under sustained multi-user load and maintaining operational resilience up to 200 concurrent virtual users. This throughput stability confirms the efficacy of persistent database connection pooling and asynchronous thread execution under concurrent traffic. Finally, usability evaluation using the System Usability Scale (SUS) with 17 respondents yielded a composite score of 71.91, classifying the platform as Good with an Acceptable level of user reception.
Downloads
References
Alam, M. I., Sahoo, S., Sharma, S., & Verma, A. (2025). Barterchain: A blockchain-based barter system in smart cities. Digital Finance, 7(4), 871–900. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42521-025-00133-8
Bangor, A., Kortum, P., & Miller, J. (2009). Determining what individual SUS scores mean: Adding an adjective rating scale. Journal of Usability Studies, 4(3), 114–123.
Brooke, J. (1996). SUS: A quick and dirty usability scale. In P. W. Jordan, B. Thomas, B. A. Weerdmeester, & A. L. McClelland (Eds.), Usability evaluation in industry (pp. 189–194). Taylor & Francis.
Daniswara, B. A., & Susetyo, Y. A. (2024). Rancang bangun API management pada aplikasi SSC menggunakan framework Webix di PT XYZ. JIKA (Jurnal Informatika), 8(2), 238–245. https://doi.org/10.31000/jika.v8i2.10977
Fauvelle, M. (2025). The trade theory of money: External exchange and the origins of money. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, 32(1), Article 20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-025-09694-9
Firmansyah, D., Purwanto, H., Wiharko, T., & Gustian, R. (2023). Pemanfaatan token dalam pengembangan sistem informasi barter barang berbasis web menggunakan framework Laravel. INTERNAL (Information System Journal), 6(2), 101–114. https://doi.org/10.32627/internal.v6i2.850
Han, J., & Choi, Y. (2024). Analyzing performance characteristics of PostgreSQL and MariaDB on NVMeVirt [Preprint]. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2411.10005
Kim, J., Conte, M., Oh, Y., & Park, J. (2024). From barter to market: An agent-based model of prehistoric market development. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, 31(3), 1232–1271. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-023-09637-2
Klimek, B. M., & Skublewska-Paszkowska, M. (2021). Comparison of the performance of relational databases PostgreSQL and MySQL for desktop application. Journal of Computer Sciences Institute, 18, 61–66. https://doi.org/10.35784/jcsi.2314
Kuffel, S., & Walter, B. (2024). Performance comparison of popular Node.js web frameworks. In Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Web Information Systems and Technologies (WEBIST 2024) (pp. 112–123). SCITEPRESS.
Libertino, L. F. C. (2020). Performance analysis and monitoring of computational resources with a comparison between Node.js and PHP and .NET Core platforms. International Journal of Development Research, 10(5), 35539–35550. https://doi.org/10.37118/ijdr.18695.05.2020
Molina-Jiménez, C., al Nakib, H. D., Song, L., Sfyrakis, I., & Crowcroft, J. (2020). A case for a currencyless economy based on bartering with smart contracts [Preprint]. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2010.07013
Nawawi, A., & Komalasari, R. (2025). Perancangan aplikasi barter service mobile berbasis React Native dan Laravel. Digital Transformation Technology (Digitech), 5(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.47709/digitech.v5i1.6500
Pratama, I. P. A. E., & Raharja, I. M. S. (2023). Node.js performance benchmarking and analysis at Virtualbox, Docker, and Podman environment using Node-Bench method. JOIV: International Journal on Informatics Visualization, 7(4), 2240–2246. https://doi.org/10.62527/joiv.7.4.1762
Pratama, S. D., & Dadaprawira, M. N. (2023). Pengujian black box testing pada aplikasi Edu Digital berbasis website menggunakan metode equivalence dan boundary value. Jurnal Teknologi Sistem Informasi dan Sistem Komputer TGD, 6(2), 560–569. https://doi.org/10.53513/jsk.v6i2.8427
Putra, Y. Y., Purwaningrum, O., & Winata, R. H. (2022). Perbandingan performa respon waktu kueri MySQL, PostgreSQL, dan MongoDB. Jurnal Sistem Informasi dan Bisnis Cerdas (SIBC), 15(1), 39–48. https://doi.org/10.33005/sibc.v15i1.7
Salunke, S. V., & Ouda, A. (2024). A performance benchmark for the PostgreSQL and MySQL databases. Future Internet, 16(10), Article 382. https://doi.org/10.3390/fi16100382
Santi, P. A. D. A., Afwani, R., Albar, M. A., Anjarwani, S. E., & Mardiansyah, A. Z. (2022). Black box testing with equivalence partitioning and boundary value analysis methods. In Proceedings of the First Mandalika International Multi-Conference on Science and Engineering 2022 (MIMSE 2022) (pp. 207–219). Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-084-8_19
Saravanos, A., & Curinga, M. X. (2023). Simulating the software development lifecycle: The waterfall model. Applied System Innovation, 6(6), Article 108. https://doi.org/10.3390/asi6060108
Shuhaiber, A., Alfayadhi, H. S. A., AlAwlaqi, M. M., & Ali, M. A. A. (2023). 'E-Barter' exchanging system: Toward a smart and sustainable community. In Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems (Vol. 595, pp. 355–371). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-7660-5_31
Sunarya, P. A., Rahardja, U., Santoso, N. P. L., Mulyati, Mustofa, K. I., & Bennet, D. (2025). Pengaruh metode Waterfall dalam penyempurnaan proses pengembangan sistem informasi akademik secara sistematis. Technomedia Journal, 9(3), 360–373. https://doi.org/10.33050/tmj.v9i3.2421
Syahrohim, I., & Parhusip, J. (2026). Pengukuran usability aplikasi web menggunakan SUS (System Usability Scale) dan pengujian black box pada website IconPlus-Warehouse. Jurnal Informatika dan Teknik Elektro Terapan, 14(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.23960/jitet.v14i1.8193
Taskinsoy, J. (2023). The reincarnation of barter trade & barter economy [Preprint]. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4456717
Tu, Z. (2023). Research on the application of layered architecture in computer software development. Journal of Computing and Electronic Information Management, 11(3), 34–38. https://doi.org/10.54097/jceim.v11i3.08
Tullis, T. S., & Stetson, J. N. (2004). A comparison of questionnaires for assessing website usability. In Proceedings of the Usability Professionals' Association (UPA) 2004 Conference (pp. 7–11). UPA.
Zapata, J., & Zapata, J. G. (2024). MySQL vs PostgreSQL: A comparative analysis of relational database management systems (RDBMS) technologies response time in web-based e-commerce [Research report]. ResearchGate. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.24791.69288
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Jeffrey Herly, Pratyaksa Ocsa Nugraha Saian
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1. Copyright Retention and Open Access License
Authors retain copyright of their work and grant the journal non-exclusive right of first publication under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
This license allows unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
2. Rights Granted Under CC BY 4.0
Under this license, readers are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, including commercial use
- No additional restrictions — the licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as license terms are followed
3. Attribution Requirements
All uses must include:
- Proper citation of the original work
- Link to the Creative Commons license
- Indication if changes were made to the original work
- No suggestion that the licensor endorses the user or their use
4. Additional Distribution Rights
Authors may:
- Deposit the published version in institutional repositories
- Share through academic social networks
- Include in books, monographs, or other publications
- Post on personal or institutional websites
Requirement: All additional distributions must maintain the CC BY 4.0 license and proper attribution.
5. Self-Archiving and Pre-Print Sharing
Authors are encouraged to:
- Share pre-prints and post-prints online
- Deposit in subject-specific repositories (e.g., arXiv, bioRxiv)
- Engage in scholarly communication throughout the publication process
6. Open Access Commitment
This journal provides immediate open access to all content, supporting the global exchange of knowledge without financial, legal, or technical barriers.
