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NST Forum ​

DifficultyIntermediate
Team Size2-3 people
Time~30-35 hours
Demo-ready byStep 5
PrerequisitesNode.js, HTML/CSS/JavaScript, database basics
Built byDiscourse, Reddit, Stack Overflow, Piazza

Skills you'll earn: User authentication, voting systems, real-time WebSocket updates, moderation tools, reputation systems

Start with posting a message. End with a full campus discussion forum.

(Assumes starting from scratch with basic HTML/CSS/JS knowledge)

Step 1: Post a message (~2 hours) ​

You want a place for students to ask questions.

  • Set up a Node.js server with Express
  • Create endpoints: POST /posts and GET /posts
  • Store posts in-memory (array) with title, body, author name, and timestamp
  • Build a frontend that shows all posts and a form to submit a new one

You now have: A message board.

Step 2: Add a database (~2-3 hours) ​

You restart the server. All posts are gone.

  • Set up PostgreSQL or MongoDB
  • Create a schema: posts with id, title, body, author, createdAt
  • Replace in-memory storage with database queries
  • Add pagination: 20 posts per page

You now have: Persistent posts.

Step 3: User accounts (~3-4 hours) ​

Anyone can post as anyone. "Author" is a text field. That's chaos.

  • Add registration and login (email + password)
  • Hash passwords with bcrypt
  • Issue JWT tokens or use sessions
  • Associate posts with authenticated users
  • Show the author's name on each post

You now have: Authenticated posting.

Step 4: Categories and threads (~3-4 hours) ​

Everything is in one flat list. CS questions mix with canteen complaints.

  • Create categories: Academics, Technical Help, Campus Life, Events, Random
  • Each post belongs to a category
  • Filter posts by category
  • Each post becomes a thread — add a replies system (comments on a post)

You now have: An organized forum.

Step 5: Voting (~2-3 hours) ​

Good answers sink below bad ones because of chronological order.

  • Add upvote and downvote buttons on posts and replies
  • Sort by votes (highest first) or by date (newest first)
  • Let users toggle the sort order
  • One vote per user per post (prevent duplicate voting)

You now have: Community-ranked content.

Step 6: Search (~2-3 hours) ​

You know someone asked about "linked lists" last week. You can't find it.

  • Add full-text search on post titles and bodies
  • Use your database's built-in text search (PostgreSQL tsvector or MongoDB text index)
  • Add a search bar in the header
  • Show results with highlighted matches

You now have: Forum search.

Step 7: User profiles and reputation (~3-4 hours) ​

  • Create profile pages showing a user's posts, replies, and total karma
  • Award reputation points for upvotes received
  • Display reputation badges (Newbie, Regular, Expert)
  • Show "top contributors" on the sidebar

You now have: A reputation system.

Step 8: Moderation (~3-4 hours) ​

  • Add moderator roles that can delete posts, lock threads, and ban users
  • Flagging system: users can report inappropriate content
  • Moderator queue for flagged posts

Step 9: Real-time updates (~3-4 hours) ​

  • Use WebSockets to push new posts and replies to connected clients
  • Show a "new replies" indicator without refreshing
  • Typing indicators in active threads

Step 10: Notifications (~3-4 hours) ​

  • Notify users when someone replies to their post
  • Notify when a post in a followed thread gets a new reply
  • In-app notification bell, optionally email

Step 11: Deploy (~3-4 hours) ​

  • Containerize and deploy to the NST cluster
  • Set up a domain, TLS, and Ingress
  • Add CI/CD
  • Restrict registration to NST email domains

Useful Resources ​

Where to go from here ​

  • Markdown support in posts and replies
  • File and image attachments
  • Anonymous posting mode
  • Course-specific discussion boards (integrated with class schedules)
  • Mobile app
  • Integration with NST's LMS