Aether iOS App ⛈️

Aether is a next-generation weather client that prioritizes aesthetics, privacy, and performance. Built entirely in Swift 6 and SwiftUI, it delivers a futuristic "Jules Verne" inspired interface while maintaining robust architectural principles.

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Product Showcase

Aether's design is its core feature. Here's a look at the futuristic interface.

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Tech Stack

• Language: Swift 6
• UI Framework: SwiftUI
• Persistence: SwiftData (@Model-driven architecture)
• Concurrency: Swift Concurrency (Async/Await, Actors)
• Networking: Native URLSession
• Minimum Target: macOS 14.0

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Architecture & Design Decisions

1. Privacy-First API Strategy (Open-Meteo)

Aether is built on the philosophy that weather data should be free and private.

• No API Keys: We utilize Open-Meteo, an open-source weather API that requires no authentication keys. This makes the project easy to fork and run without setup.
• Two-Step Fetch Process: Since Open-Meteo's weather endpoint requires coordinates, we implemented a robust Geocoding → Weather pipeline:
  1. User searches for a city → App queries the Geocoding API to get (lat, lon).
  2. App uses these coordinates to fetch precise weather data. This resolves the common issue of premium-tier restrictions found in other weather APIs.

2. High-Performance Caching Layer

To reduce network load and improve responsiveness, Aether implements a custom in-memory caching system using Swift Actors.

• Thread Safety: The WeatherCache actor ensures thread-safe access to cached data in a concurrent environment.
• Dual-Level Caching:
  • Geocoding Results: Cached by city name to prevent redundant lookups for the same location.
  • Weather Data: Cached by coordinate key (lat, lon) with a 30-minute validity period.
  • Result: Instant load times for frequently accessed locations and reduced API strain.

3. Modern Data Persistence (SwiftData)

We leveraged Apple's latest persistence framework, SwiftData, to manage user favorites.

• The City Model: Defined as a @Model class, allowing seamless binding to SwiftUI views.
• Feature Set: Supports adding, removing, and reordering locations, with persistent storage of metadata like country codes and coordinates.

4. "JulesTheme" Design System

The visual identity is centralized in JulesTheme.swift, ensuring consistency across the app.

• Glassmorphism: A custom implementation using UltraThinMaterial combined with subtle gradients and borders to create a "liquid glass" effect.
• Color Palette: A curated set of deep space purples (#1d0245) and neon accents (Cyan #22d3ee, Purple #a855f7) to evoke a sci-fi atmosphere.
• Typography: Monospaced fonts are used throughout to reinforce the "terminal/dashboard" aesthetic.

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Setup & Run

1. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/Aether.git
   cd Aether

2. Open in Xcode

   • Double-click Aether.xcodeproj.
   • Ensure you are using Xcode 15+.

3. Build & Run

   • Select your target (My Mac).
   • Press Cmd + R to run.
   • Note: No .env file or API keys are required!

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Created by Arboy Magomba.