Welcome to the PYQDeck monorepo. This repository contains both the high-performance Express backend and the modern Next.js frontend for the PYQDeck platform—a centralized hub for university question papers and solutions.
| Component | Tech Stack | Production URL |
|---|---|---|
| Backend API | Node.js, Express, MongoDB, Clerk | backend.pyqdeck.in |
| Frontend Web | Next.js 15, Tailwind 4, shadcn/ui | app.pyqdeck.in |
| UI Library | Storybook 8, Radix UI, Vite | storybook.pyqdeck.in |
| API Docs | Swagger / OpenAPI 3.0 | /api-docs |
| Engineering Docs | Mintlify | docs.pyqdeck.in |
| Status | Custom Status Page | status.pyqdeck.in |
PYQDeck is built using a modern, scalable stack designed for high performance and developer productivity.
graph TD
User([User]) <--> Frontend[Next.js Frontend]
Frontend <--> Clerk{Clerk Auth}
Frontend <--> Backend[Express Backend]
Backend <--> MongoDB[(MongoDB)]
Backend <--> Clerk
Backend <--> S3[File Storage]
- Frontend: Next.js 15 application providing a seamless, fast user experience.
- Backend: Express.js API handling business logic, data persistence, and integrations.
- Database: MongoDB (via Mongoose) for flexible, document-based data storage.
- Authentication: Clerk for secure, managed user authentication and identity.
- Storage: Integration with S3/UploadThing for storing question papers and solutions.
- 🔍 Advanced Search: Quickly find question papers by university, subject, or year.
- 📑 Smart Bookmarking: Save important papers and solutions to your personal collection.
- 💡 Verified Solutions: Access high-quality, peer-reviewed solutions for past questions.
- 📊 Learning Analytics: Track your progress and identify areas for improvement.
- 📤 Community Contributions: Upload and share papers to help fellow students.
backend/: Express API with Mongoose models, controllers, and comprehensive Vitest suites.frontend/: Next.js application with a type-safe SDK generated from the backend OpenAPI spec.docs/: Mintlify-based internal engineering documentation.
We use Storybook for UI components and Mintlify for full engineering documentation.
Our internal docs site covers API references, architecture, and local development flows.
- Live Site: docs.pyqdeck.in
- Tech: Mintlify with OpenAPI synchronization.
We use Storybook to document our UI component library in isolation. This ensures visual consistency and accessibility across the platform.
- Live Preview: View Component Library
- Coverage: 100% of core UI components (50+) documented with interactive stories.
- Tech: Radix UI primitives, Tailwind CSS 4, and Framer Motion.
- Node.js (v20+)
- pnpm (v10+)
- MongoDB (Local instance or Atlas)
Since this project uses separate pnpm environments for backend and frontend without a root-level workspace manager, you should manage them in separate terminal sessions:
- Terminal 1 (Backend): Run the API server.
- Terminal 2 (Frontend): Run the Next.js application.
This separation ensures that dependencies and build processes for each component remain isolated and manageable.
cd backend
pnpm install
cp .env.example .env # Configure your Clerk and MongoDB keys
pnpm devcd frontend
pnpm install
# Ensure you have .env.local configured (see Environment Variables section)
pnpm run gen:api # Generates the type-safe API SDK from backend
pnpm dev| Variable | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
PORT |
The port the backend server runs on. | 3000 |
MONGODB_URI |
Connection string for your MongoDB instance. | mongodb://localhost:27017/pyqdeck |
CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY |
Clerk public key for client-side auth. | - |
CLERK_SECRET_KEY |
Clerk secret key for server-side auth. | - |
CLERK_WEBHOOK_SECRET |
Secret used to verify incoming Clerk webhooks. | - |
RESEND_API_KEY |
API key for Resend email service. | - |
| Variable | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL |
The base URL of the backend API. | http://localhost:3000/api/v1 |
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY |
Clerk public key (must match backend). | - |
CLERK_SECRET_KEY |
Clerk secret key (must match backend). | - |
We use a Unified Monorepo Pipeline that guarantees stability across the stack:
- API Contract Safety: Every PR verifies that
backend/openapi.jsonis in sync with the code. If you modify an API route or model, you must runpnpm run openapi:exportin the backend. - SDK Validation: The frontend SDK is regenerated in CI. If a backend change breaks the frontend types, the build will fail immediately.
- Docker Health Check: Automated builds of the backend Docker image to ensure deployment readiness.
- Sequential Deploys: Deployment to Render and Vercel triggers only after all quality checks (Lint, Test, Build) pass for both projects.
cd backend
pnpm test # Run Vitest suites
pnpm test:coverage # Generate coverage (Target: 80%+)cd frontend
pnpm lint # Run ESLint
pnpm build # Verify Next.js build & type-safety- MongoDB Connection Issues: Ensure your MongoDB service is running or that your
MONGODB_URIis correct. If using Atlas, ensure your IP is whitelisted. - Clerk Integration: Double-check that your keys are correctly copied into both
.envand.env.local. Ensure your Clerk instance is properly configured for webhooks if you're using them. - SDK Regeneration: If the frontend types are out of sync with the backend, run
pnpm run gen:apiin thefrontenddirectory. Ensure the backend is configured correctly as this script exports the OpenAPI spec first.
We welcome contributions! Please see our CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines on branch naming, the pull request process, and coding standards.
© 2026 PYQDeck Team. Built with ❤️ for students.
This project is proprietary and confidential. All rights reserved. No part of this software may be used, modified, or distributed without the express written permission of the copyright holder.