Popularity Scoring

The Express API runs a cron job every 10 minutes that recalculates a popularityScore for every activity. This score powers the "Popular" sort option and featured sections.

Scoring Formula

popularityScore = views × 1
                + bookingsCount × 10
                + averageRating × 20
                + (isFeatured ? 100 : 0)
                - (daysSinceCreation × 0.5)

Weight Breakdown

Factor	Weight	Rationale
Views	1×	Baseline engagement signal
Bookings count	10×	Strong conversion signal
Average rating	20×	Quality signal (0–5 → up to 100 pts)
Is featured	+100	Admin boost for promoted activities
Age penalty	−0.5/day	Prevents old activities from dominating

Example Calculation

For an activity that is:

• Viewed 1,000 times
• Booked 50 times
• Rated 4.5★
• Featured
• Created 30 days ago

score = 1000 × 1       = 1000
      + 50 × 10        = 500
      + 4.5 × 20       = 90
      + 100            = 100
      - 30 × 0.5       = -15
      ──────────────────────
      = 1675

Cron Implementation

File: src/cron/updatePopularity.cron.ts

import cron from "node-cron";

cron.schedule("*/10 * * * *", async () => {
  const activities = await prisma.activity.findMany();
  for (const activity of activities) {
    const daysSinceCreation = Math.floor(
      (Date.now() - activity.createdAt.getTime()) / (1000 * 60 * 60 * 24)
    );
    const score =
      activity.views * 1 +
      activity.bookingsCount * 10 +
      (activity.averageRating || 0) * 20 +
      (activity.isFeatured ? 100 : 0) -
      daysSinceCreation * 0.5;

    await prisma.activity.update({
      where: { id: activity.id },
      data: { popularityScore: Math.max(0, Math.round(score)) },
    });
  }
});

Usage

• Sort option: GET /api/v1/activity?sort=popularity
• Featured sections: Frontend calls GET /api/v1/activity/featured for promoted content
• Homepage: Popular activities section

Database Index

The popularityScore field is indexed for efficient sorting:

@@index([popularityScore])