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.
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 |