MERN Stack Developer for Security Audit, Stripe Integration & UI Polish

Here is the complete, final Upwork job description with the estimated timeframe (1.5 to 2 hours) clearly included, ready for you to paste into the description box on your screen: --- We are looking for an experienced, trustworthy MERN-stack developer to perform a quick, secure handover and polish up our global online marketplace platform. The ideal candidate will be thorough, transparent, and efficient, completing the following structured checklist in an estimated **1.5 to 2 hours**: #### **Scope of Work:** 1. **Homepage / Inventory Cleanup:** * Remove existing generic placeholder items (e.g., filler fashion and tech products currently displaying on the homepage). * Ensure product/service sections accurately reflect a global marketplace structure. 2. **Implement Call-to-Action (CTA) Banners:** * Add custom startup messaging where placeholders were removed: * *For Service Providers:* "Sign up now & put your services on the platform! Launching our global marketplace for products and services—join early and showcase your offerings to customers worldwide." * *For Buyers:* "Discover trusted products and professional services. Browse our growing global marketplace today!" 3. **Stripe Live Integration & Configuration:** * Implement and configure the live Stripe API keys securely into the backend environment variables (`process.env`). * Audit configuration files to ensure no old or hardcoded secrets remain. 4. **Codebase Security & Vulnerability Scan:** * Perform a thorough security scan of the codebase, commit history, and configuration files to ensure no suspicious automation scripts, hidden backdoors, or potential malware/virus files (such as unauthorized `.vscode/tasks.json` setups) are present. * Verify that GitHub security features (Dependabot, Secret scanning) are fully enabled. 5. **Node.js & Dependency Upgrade:** * Upgrade runtime environments and dependencies across backend/frontend configuration files to stable versions. * Review `package.json` and ensure no untrusted or flagged libraries are present. 6. **Build & Deployment Verification:** * Run local builds and verify that CI/CD pipelines and production deployments run cleanly. #### **Requirements & Expectations:** * Strong proficiency in the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js). * Proven experience with Stripe API integrations and secure environment variable management. * High attention to security best practices, codebase cleanliness, and clean offboarding (purging local workspace copies upon project completion). * **Estimated Timeframe:** 1.5 to 2 hours. If you can't proceed and do it all in one go and please don't apply once I have added you to github etc start to finish max time 2 hours