Capstone Project
What This Is
Your capstone is an independent, production-grade full-stack application of your own design. This is the project you'll demo in job interviews and feature at the top of your portfolio.
You can start from scratch or use the Project 02 starters (API + frontend) as a base and extend them for your capstone.
What Makes a Great Capstone
The best capstone projects:
- Solve a real problem — something you or someone you know would actually use
- Use the full stack — database, API, frontend, auth, deployment
- Have a polished UI — looks like something a company would ship
- Have real data — not lorem ipsum placeholder content
- Are on a custom domain — shows initiative (domains cost ~$12/year)
Technical Requirements
Must Have
- TypeScript throughout (frontend and backend)
- Authentication (email/password or OAuth)
- PostgreSQL database with Prisma ORM
- REST or tRPC or GraphQL API
- React (Vite or Next.js App Router)
- Tailwind CSS
- Deployed and publicly accessible
- Custom domain (optional but strongly recommended)
- README with: description, screenshot, live URL, features, tech stack
Pick One Architecture
Option A — Monorepo (Next.js)
- Full-stack Next.js with App Router
- Server Components + Server Actions
- Prisma + PostgreSQL (Supabase)
- NextAuth for authentication
- Deploy to Vercel
Option B — Separate API + Frontend
- NestJS or Express API → Deploy to Railway
- React + Vite frontend → Deploy to Vercel
- Shared TypeScript types via tRPC or manual interfaces
- JWT authentication
Pick One AI Feature (optional but impressive)
- AI-powered content generation
- Smart search with embeddings
- Automated summaries or analysis
- Conversational interface
Project Ideas
| Idea | Description |
|---|---|
| Job Tracker | Track applications, interviews, contacts — with AI email drafting |
| Recipe Manager | Save recipes, scale servings, plan meals, generate shopping lists |
| Habit Tracker | Daily check-ins, streaks, visualizations, AI coaching |
| Expense Tracker | Log spending, categorize with AI, visualize trends |
| Dev Portfolio CMS | Manage portfolio projects through an admin UI |
| Flashcard App | Spaced repetition learning with AI-generated cards from notes |
| Event Planner | Create events, invite attendees, RSVP system |
| Rental Listings | Post/browse rental properties with image upload |
Timeline
| Week | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1 | Approved proposal, wireframes, DB schema, repo created |
| 2 | Core models + API routes working, auth implemented |
| 3 | Frontend connected to API, main flows working end-to-end |
| 4 | Polish, error handling, deployment, custom domain |
| 5 | Final presentation rehearsal |
| 6 | Demo Day |