[Simple SNS Project] Step 3. Building the Follow System & Timeline (N:M Relationship)
backend•Jan 9, 2026

[Simple SNS Project] Step 3. Building the Follow System & Timeline (N:M Relationship)

In this step, I transformed the application into a real social network by implementing the Follow System, addressing the challenge of modeling relationships between users and efficiently retrieving timelines.

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Original source

Key summary

In Step 3 of building a social network application, the author implemented a Follow System, addressing the challenge of modeling relationships between users and efficiently retrieving timelines. They used a Many-to-Many relationship mapping table called Follows in a Relational Database and adopted the Pull Model strategy for querying the database.

TL;DR

  • Implemented a Follow System for a social network application
  • Used a Many-to-Many relationship mapping table called Follows
  • Added a UniqueConstraint to prevent duplicate follow requests
  • Adopted the Pull Model strategy for querying the database
  • Updated the React frontend to allow users to input a User ID and follow them
  • Learned how to map entities using JPA and construct complex queries using Spring Data JPA
  • Used Spring Data JPA's method naming conventions for complex queries

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