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Overview

The TikTok Clone project follows a feature-based modular structure that promotes separation of concerns and scalability. Each major component has its dedicated directory with clear responsibilities. 
KD Tiktok-Clone/
├── MainApplication/       # App lifecycle and core setup
├── Modules/              # Feature modules (Home, Profile, etc.)
├── Entity/               # Data models and cache managers
├── Network/              # API and Firebase integration
├── Extensions/           # Swift extensions
├── Utils/                # Utility classes and constants
├── Resources/            # Assets, animations, and media
└── Base.lproj/          # Localization files

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Directory Structure

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MainApplication/

Core application setup and base classes for the entire app.
Entry point for the application lifecycle.Location: MainApplication/AppDelegate.swiftResponsibilities:
  • Application launch configuration
  • Firebase initialization
  • App lifecycle events (background, foreground)

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Modules/

Feature-based modules implementing specific app functionality. Each module is self-contained with its own views, view models, and supporting files.
The video feed feature displaying scrollable short-form videos.Location: Modules/Home/Files:
  • HomeViewController.swift - Main feed controller with table view
  • HomeViewModel.swift - Business logic and data management
  • HomeTableViewCell.swift - Individual video cell
  • VideoPlayerView.swift - Custom video player UI
  • VideoPlayerManager.swift - Video playback coordination
  • CommentPopUpView.swift - Comment section overlay
  • CommentTableViewCell.swift - Individual comment cell
Key Features:
  • Paginated video loading (10 per page)
  • Automatic video playback on scroll
  • Prefetching for smooth scrolling
  • Audio session management
Reference: Modules/Home/HomeViewModel.swift:14-75
Video recording, editing, and posting functionality.Location: Modules/Media/Files:
  • MediaViewController.swift - Camera interface
  • MediaViewModel.swift - Recording and upload logic
  • MediaPostingViewController.swift - Post creation screen
  • CameraManager.swift - Camera and recording management
  • Views/
    • MediaPlayerView.swift - Preview player
    • RecordButton.swift - Custom recording button
    • AccessPermissionView.swift - Permission request UI
Key Features:
  • Camera capture with AVFoundation
  • Video recording with timer
  • Post metadata (caption, music, author info)
  • Firebase Storage upload
func postVideo(videoURL: URL, caption: String, 
               success: @escaping (String) -> Void, 
               failure: @escaping (Error) -> Void) {
    let videoName = randomString(length: 10) + ".\(VIDEO_FILE_EXTENSION)"
    let post = Post(id: "REMOVE", video: videoName, videoURL: videoURL, 
                   videoFileExtension: VIDEO_FILE_EXTENSION, ...)
    VideoPostRequest.publishPost(post: post, videoURL: videoURL, 
                                success: success, failure: failure)
}
Reference: Modules/Media/MediaViewModel.swift:23-34
User profile display with video grid.Location: Modules/Profile/Files:
  • ProfileViewController.swift - Profile page with collection view
  • ProfileViewModel.swift - Profile state and cache management
  • ProfileCollectionViewCell.swift - Video thumbnail cells
  • ProfileCollectionViewFlowLayout.swift - Custom grid layout
  • ProfileHeaderView.swift - User info header
  • ProfileSlideBarView.swift - Tab selector (Posts/Liked)
Layout:
  • Custom collection view with stretching header
  • 3-column video grid
  • Parallax effect on background image
Reference: Modules/Profile/ProfileViewController.swift:12-166
Discover Module (Modules/Discover/)
  • Search and explore functionality
  • DiscoverViewController.swift - Search interface
Inbox Module (Modules/Inbox/)
  • Messaging and notifications
  • InboxViewController.swift - Messages list

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Entity/

Data models, cache managers, and domain entities.
Core data structures representing app entities.Location: Entity/Models/Post.swift (Entity/Models/Post.swift:13-85)
struct Post: Codable {
    var id: String
    var video: String
    var videoURL: URL?
    var videoFileExtension: String?
    var videoHeight: Int
    var videoWidth: Int
    var autherID: String
    var autherName: String
    var caption: String
    var music: String
    var likeCount: Int
    var shareCount: Int
    var commentID: String
    
    init(dictionary: [String: Any]) {
        // Parse Firebase document data
    }
}
User.swift (Entity/Models/User.swift:12-26)
struct User {
    var uid: String
    var name: String
    var description: String
    var douyinID: Int
    var tags: [String]
    var profilePic: String
    var posts: [String]
    var likedPosts: [String]
    var followerCount: Int
    var followCount: Int
    var likeCount: Int
    var friendsCount: Int
}
Comment.swift
  • Comment text and metadata
  • User information
  • Timestamp and likes

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Network/

Firebase integration and API request handlers. 
Network/
├── NetworkModel.swift        # Base class with type aliases
├── GetRequests/
│   ├── PostsRequest.swift   # Fetch posts from Firestore
│   └── UserRequest.swift    # User data operations
└── PostRequests/
    └── VideoPostRequest.swift # Upload videos to Storage
NetworkModel.swift (Network/NetworkModel.swift:11-17)
class NetworkModel: NSObject {
    typealias Success = (Any) -> Void
    typealias Failure = (Error) -> Void
}
PostsRequest.swift (Network/GetRequests/PostsRequest.swift:13-56)
class PostsRequest: NetworkModel {
    static let db = Firestore.firestore().collection("Post")
    
    static func getPostsByPages(pageNumber: Int, size: Int = 5, 
                                success: @escaping Success, 
                                failure: @escaping Failure) {
        db.whereField(field, isGreaterThanOrEqualTo: pageNumber)
          .whereField(field, isLessThan: pageNumber + size)
          .getDocuments(completion: { snapshot, error in
              // Handle response
          })
    }
    
    static func getPostsVideoURL(name: String, 
                                 success: @escaping Success, 
                                 failure: @escaping Failure) {
        let pathRef = Storage.storage().reference().child("Videos/\(name)")
        pathRef.downloadURL(completion: { url, error in
            // Handle video URL
        })
    }
}
Key Features:
  • Static methods for easy access
  • Closure-based completion handlers
  • Firebase Firestore queries with pagination
  • Firebase Storage URL generation

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Extensions/

Swift extensions adding functionality to existing types. Location: Extensions/
UIColor extensions for app color scheme
  • Brand colors
  • Background colors
  • Text colors

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Utils/

Utility classes and global constants. Location: Utils/ Constants.swift (Utils/Constants.swift:12-22) 
struct ScreenSize {
    /// Screen width
    static let Width = UIScreen.main.bounds.width
    /// Screen height
    static let Height = UIScreen.main.bounds.height
}

/// Video File Type
let VIDEO_FILE_EXTENSION = "mp4"

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Resources/

Assets, animations, and media files. 
Resources/
├── Assets.xcassets/     # Images and icons
└── Lotties/             # Lottie animation files
Contents:
  • App icons and tab bar icons
  • Profile background images
  • Loading animations (Lottie JSON)
  • Media button custom icon

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File Naming Conventions

The project follows standard Swift naming conventions:
  • ViewControllers: [Feature]ViewController.swift
    • Example: HomeViewController.swift, ProfileViewController.swift
  • ViewModels: [Feature]ViewModel.swift
    • Example: HomeViewModel.swift, MediaViewModel.swift
  • Views: [Feature][Component]View.swift
    • Example: VideoPlayerView.swift, ProfileHeaderView.swift
  • Cells: [Feature]TableViewCell.swift or [Feature]CollectionViewCell.swift
    • Example: HomeTableViewCell.swift, ProfileCollectionViewCell.swift
  • Models: [Entity].swift
    • Example: Post.swift, User.swift, Comment.swift
  • Network: [Entity]Request.swift
    • Example: PostsRequest.swift, UserRequest.swift

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Build Configuration

Xcode Project: KD Tiktok-Clone.xcodeproj Workspace: KD Tiktok-Clone.xcworkspace (for CocoaPods)
Always open the .xcworkspace file when working with the project, not the .xcodeproj, to ensure CocoaPods dependencies are properly linked.

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Dependency Management

The project uses CocoaPods for dependency management. Podfile Location: Root of project directory Installed Pods:
  • SnapKit (UI layout)
  • RxSwift (reactive programming)
  • MarqueeLabel (scrolling text)
  • lottie-ios (animations)
  • Firebase (backend services)

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Next Steps

Learn about the implementation patterns:

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