CodeQuest

CodeQuest is a real-time collaborative coding platform for practicing interview problems together. A room combines a shared Monaco editor, per-language code persistence, chat, WebRTC video, a synchronized timer, and Judge0-powered code execution.

Live application: codequest-mu-three.vercel.app

Features

• Shared Monaco editor powered by Yjs CRDT synchronization
• Separate saved code for every room, question, and programming language
• JavaScript, Python, Java, C++, and C starter templates
• Custom Run input and submission against public or hidden test cases
• WebRTC video and audio rooms for up to four participants
• Realtime chat, participant presence, and synchronized room timers
• Room/session history with submissions and the latest saved code
• Admin tools for questions, test cases, users, and active rooms
• JWT authentication, authorization checks, validation, and rate limiting

How a coding session works

1. An admin creates a problem, reviews its language templates, and adds at least one test case.
2. A user creates a room with up to five ready problems and shares its ID.
3. Participants join through the dashboard. The server authorizes the room membership before enabling realtime features.
4. Each question/language pair has its own collaborative Yjs document. Changes are saved after edits and immediately when switching language, switching problem, or leaving the room.
5. Run executes the current code with custom stdin. Submit executes it against every test case, records the result, and hides private case I/O.
6. The creator can end the room; admins can terminate it. Final editor state and submission history remain available afterward.

Technology

Area	Stack
Frontend	React 19, TypeScript, Vite, Tailwind CSS, Monaco Editor
API	Node.js 24 LTS, Express 5, Zod
Realtime	Socket.IO, Yjs, y-monaco
Video	Browser WebRTC with STUN/TURN
Database	PostgreSQL, Prisma
Execution	Judge0 CE through RapidAPI or a self-hosted endpoint
Hosting	Vercel frontend, Render backend, GitHub Actions CI/CD

Repository layout

codequest/
├── backend/                 # Express, Socket.IO, Prisma, Judge0 integration
│   ├── prisma/              # Schema, migrations, and admin seed
│   ├── src/routes/          # HTTP API
│   ├── src/socket/          # Rooms, Yjs, chat, timer, and WebRTC signaling
│   └── tests/               # Backend unit tests
├── frontend/                # React/Vite application
│   ├── src/components/      # Editor, video, chat, and routing components
│   ├── src/hooks/           # Collaboration, chat, and WebRTC hooks
│   └── tests/               # Local end-to-end smoke test
├── .github/workflows/       # CI and deployment workflow
└── docker-compose.yml       # Local PostgreSQL service

Local development

Prerequisites

• Node.js 24 LTS and npm 11+
• Docker Desktop or a PostgreSQL 15+ instance
• Judge0 credentials for Run and Submit
• Optional TURN credentials for reliable video across different networks

1. Clone and configure

git clone https://github.com/Ashutosh-code-arch/codequest.git
cd codequest
cp .env.example backend/.env
cp frontend/.env.example frontend/.env

Set a strong JWT_SECRET, ADMIN_EMAIL, and ADMIN_PASSWORD in backend/.env. Add JUDGE0_API_KEY when using the default RapidAPI endpoint.

The frontend defaults to http://localhost:4000. For video between devices or users behind restrictive NATs, configure VITE_TURN_URL, VITE_TURN_USERNAME, and VITE_TURN_CREDENTIAL in frontend/.env.

2. Start PostgreSQL

docker compose up -d

3. Install and initialize the backend

cd backend
npm ci
npm run db:migrate
npm run db:seed
npm run dev

The API starts at http://localhost:4000. The seed command creates or updates the admin account from ADMIN_EMAIL and ADMIN_PASSWORD.

4. Start the frontend

In a second terminal:

cd frontend
npm ci
npm run dev

Open http://localhost:5173.

Environment variables

Backend

Variable	Required	Purpose
DATABASE_URL	Yes	PostgreSQL connection string
JWT_SECRET	Yes	Signs access tokens; use a long random value
JWT_EXPIRES_IN	No	Access-token lifetime, default 15m
ADMIN_EMAIL	For seed	Initial administrator email
ADMIN_PASSWORD	For seed	Initial administrator password
FRONTEND_URL	Yes in production	Allowed browser origin
PORT	No	API port, default 4000
JUDGE0_URL	Yes	Judge0 base URL
JUDGE0_API_KEY	RapidAPI only	RapidAPI authentication key

Frontend

Variable	Required	Purpose
VITE_API_URL	Yes in production	Backend HTTP origin
VITE_WS_URL	Yes in production	Backend Socket.IO origin
VITE_TURN_URL	Recommended	TURN server URL, for example turn:host:3478
VITE_TURN_URLS	Recommended	Comma-separated TURN URLs; overrides VITE_TURN_URL and should include UDP, TCP, and TLS endpoints when available
VITE_TURN_USERNAME	With TURN	TURN username
VITE_TURN_CREDENTIAL	With TURN	TURN credential

Never commit real .env files or credentials.

Quality checks

# Backend
cd backend
npm run typecheck
npm test

# Frontend
cd ../frontend
npm run typecheck
npm run lint
npm run build

The local end-to-end test additionally requires the database, backend, seeded admin credentials, and Judge0:

cd frontend
E2E_ADMIN_EMAIL=admin@example.com \
E2E_ADMIN_PASSWORD='your-admin-password' \
npm run test:e2e:local

It covers authentication, room authorization, WebRTC signaling, chat, Yjs collaboration and persistence, all five submission languages, history, and room termination.

Deployment

GitHub Actions runs clean installs, backend tests, TypeScript checks, frontend linting, and a production build before deployment.

Configure these GitHub Actions secrets:

• RENDER_DEPLOY_HOOK_URL
• VERCEL_TOKEN
• VERCEL_ORG_ID
• VERCEL_PROJECT_ID

Configure the backend and frontend environment variables in Render and Vercel respectively. Node.js 24.x is declared in both packages and in CI. The backend start command applies pending Prisma migrations before starting the server.

License

Released under the MIT License.