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App Builder Track

This track covers building web applications with Claude Code assistance—from simple React components to full-stack apps with authentication and databases.

The Full-Stack Journey
Each project builds on the last

What You'll Build

ProjectWhat You'll LearnStack
Task ManagerReact components, state, localStorageNext.js + TypeScript
Weather DashboardAPI integration, charts, dynamic UIReact + APIs
Blog PlatformAuthentication, database, CRUDFull-stack + PostgreSQL
REST APIBackend development, JWT authPython + FastAPI

Prerequisites

  • Completed Start Here track
  • Basic HTML/CSS/JavaScript (or willingness to learn with Claude!)
  • Git configured and working
  • Node.js installed

Project 1: Task Manager with Next.js

Your first real app. A beautiful task manager that persists data and works on any device.

Task Manager Architecture

What You'll Build

  • Create, edit, and delete tasks
  • Organize with categories and due dates
  • Mark tasks as complete with satisfying animations
  • Data persists across browser sessions
  • Fully responsive—works on phone, tablet, desktop

Step 1: Project Setup

Tell Claude what you want:

Bash
Create a new Next.js 14 app for a task manager with:
- TypeScript
- Tailwind CSS
- App Router
- ESLint
Set up the project structure with components/, lib/, and hooks/ folders.
        • layout.tsx
        • page.tsx
        • TaskList.tsx
        • TaskItem.tsx
        • TaskForm.tsx
        • FilterBar.tsx
    • tailwind.config.js
    • package.json

Step 2: Define Your Data

Bash
Define TypeScript types for a task manager:
- Task interface with id, title, description, status, category, dueDate
- Status type (pending, in-progress, completed)
- Category type
Put these in src/lib/types.ts

Step 3: Build Components

Work through each component:

Bash
Create a TaskForm component that:
1. Has inputs for title, description, category, due date
2. Validates inputs before submission
3. Uses Tailwind for a clean, modern look
4. Works for both creating and editing tasks
5. Has accessible labels and proper focus management

Then the list:

Bash
Build a TaskList component that:
1. Displays tasks in a responsive grid
2. Shows status with color-coded badges
3. Has smooth hover effects
4. Includes delete and edit buttons
5. Groups tasks by status or category

Step 4: State Management

The heart of your app:

Bash
Create a custom hook useTasks that:
1. Manages task state (add, edit, delete, toggle status)
2. Persists to localStorage automatically
3. Loads saved tasks on page load
4. Provides filtering and sorting
5. Uses TypeScript for type safety

Step 5: Polish It

Make it feel professional:

Bash
Add finishing touches:
1. Smooth animations for adding/removing tasks
2. Dark mode that respects system preference
3. Loading skeleton while hydrating from localStorage
4. Empty state with helpful message
5. Confetti animation when completing all tasks

Step 6: Deploy

Ship it to the world:

Bash
Help me deploy to Vercel:
1. Create a git repository
2. Push the code
3. Connect to Vercel
4. Deploy and get a live URL

Project 2: Weather Dashboard

Now let's work with external data. You'll build a beautiful weather app that fetches real-time data from an API.

Weather Dashboard Flow

What You'll Build

  • Search weather for any city worldwide
  • See current conditions with beautiful icons
  • 5-day forecast with temperature charts
  • Save favorite cities
  • Dynamic backgrounds that match the weather

Step 1: Setup and API Key

Bash
Create a React + Vite project for a weather dashboard.
I'll use the OpenWeatherMap API (it's free).
1. Set up the project with TypeScript
2. Install axios for API calls and recharts for graphs
3. Show me how to get a free API key
4. Configure environment variables securely

Step 2: Build the API Layer

Bash
Create a weather service that:
1. Fetches current weather by city name
2. Gets 5-day/3-hour forecast data
3. Handles errors gracefully (city not found, rate limits)
4. Uses TypeScript types for API responses
5. Includes retry logic for failed requests

Step 3: Create the UI

Bash
Build these components with Tailwind:
1. SearchBar - City search with autocomplete feel
2. CurrentWeather - Big temperature, condition icon, city name
3. ForecastCard - Single day with high/low
4. ForecastList - 5-day horizontal scroll
5. WeatherDetails - Wind, humidity, pressure, UV index
Use a glassmorphism design with backdrop blur.

Step 4: Add Data Visualization

Bash
Create a temperature chart with Recharts:
1. Show hourly temps for next 24 hours
2. Use a gradient area chart
3. Make it responsive
4. Match the color scheme to weather condition
5. Add tooltips on hover

Step 5: Dynamic Theming

Bash
Make the UI respond to weather:
1. Sunny = warm gradient background
2. Cloudy = gray, muted tones
3. Rainy = blue-gray with rain animation
4. Night = dark theme with stars
5. Smooth CSS transitions between states

Step 6: Save Favorites

Bash
Let users save favorite cities:
1. Add to favorites button
2. Store in localStorage
3. Show favorites as quick-access cards
4. Sync across browser tabs
5. Remove from favorites option

Project 3: Blog Platform (Full-Stack)

Time to go full-stack. You'll build a complete blog with authentication, database, and all the features users expect.

Full-Stack Architecture

What You'll Build

  • User registration and login
  • Create, edit, delete blog posts
  • Rich text editor with markdown
  • Comments system
  • Search and tags
  • Author profiles

Tech Stack

  • Frontend: Next.js 14, TypeScript, Tailwind
  • Backend: Next.js API Routes
  • Database: PostgreSQL via Supabase
  • Auth: NextAuth.js
  • ORM: Prisma

Overview

Bash
Guide me through building a blog platform:
1. Set up Next.js with Supabase
2. Configure Prisma ORM
3. Add NextAuth for authentication
4. Create the database schema
5. Build the UI components
Start with project setup and database connection.

Database Design

Bash
Design my blog database with Prisma:
Tables needed:
- User (id, email, name, avatar, bio)
- Post (id, title, slug, content, published, authorId, createdAt)
- Comment (id, content, authorId, postId, createdAt)
- Tag (id, name)
- PostTag (postId, tagId)
Include proper relations and indexes.

Authentication

Bash
Set up NextAuth.js with:
1. Email/password login
2. Google OAuth option
3. Protected API routes
4. Session management
5. User profile updates
Follow security best practices.

Post Editor

Bash
Build a blog post editor:
1. Markdown editing with live preview
2. Auto-save drafts every 30 seconds
3. Image upload to Supabase storage
4. Tags selector with autocomplete
5. Publish/draft toggle
6. SEO fields (meta description, og:image)

Project 4: Python REST API

Backend-focused project. Build a professional API with Python's FastAPI framework.

API Architecture

What You'll Build

  • RESTful API for product inventory
  • JWT authentication
  • Auto-generated OpenAPI docs
  • Database with SQLAlchemy
  • Input validation with Pydantic
  • Comprehensive tests

Step 1: Project Setup

Bash
Create a FastAPI project for a product inventory API:
1. Set up virtual environment
2. Install FastAPI, uvicorn, SQLAlchemy, Pydantic
3. Create proper folder structure
4. Add a health check endpoint
5. Configure hot reload for development

Step 2: Database Layer

Bash
Create SQLAlchemy models:
- Product (id, name, description, price, quantity, category_id)
- Category (id, name, description)
- User (id, email, hashed_password, is_active, is_admin)
Set up SQLite for development, PostgreSQL-ready for production.

Step 3: Pydantic Schemas

Bash
Create Pydantic models for:
- ProductCreate, ProductUpdate, ProductResponse
- UserCreate, UserLogin, UserResponse
- CategoryCreate, CategoryResponse
Add validation:
- Price must be positive
- Email must be valid format
- Password minimum 8 characters

Step 4: CRUD Endpoints

Bash
Implement REST endpoints:
- POST /products - Create product
- GET /products - List with pagination, filtering, sorting
- GET /products/{id} - Get single product
- PUT /products/{id} - Update product
- DELETE /products/{id} - Delete product
Use proper HTTP status codes and error responses.

Step 5: Authentication

Bash
Add JWT authentication:
1. POST /auth/register - Create user account
2. POST /auth/login - Returns access + refresh tokens
3. POST /auth/refresh - Get new access token
4. Password hashing with bcrypt
5. Protected routes require valid JWT
6. Role-based permissions (user vs admin)

Step 6: Testing

Bash
Create comprehensive tests with pytest:
1. Test all CRUD operations
2. Test authentication flow
3. Test validation errors
4. Test edge cases
5. Use test database fixture
6. Aim for 90%+ coverage

Working with Claude Code

Planning a Project

Bash
Help me plan a web app for [your idea]:
1. What's the best tech stack?
2. Break features into buildable chunks
3. What are potential gotchas?
4. Suggest a folder structure
5. What should I build first?

Debugging

Bash
I'm getting this error:
[paste the full error]
Here's the relevant code:
[paste code]
What's causing this and how do I fix it?

Code Review

Bash
Review this code for:
- Bugs or logic errors
- Security vulnerabilities
- Performance issues
- Best practice violations
[paste code]

Getting Unstuck

Bash
I'm trying to [goal] but [problem].
What I've tried:
1. [approach 1]
2. [approach 2]
What am I missing?

Deployment Cheatsheet

Deployment Options

Vercel (Next.js)

Bash
# Install Vercel CLI
npm i -g vercel
# Deploy
vercel
# Deploy to production
vercel --prod

Railway (Python)

Bash
# Install Railway CLI
npm i -g @railway/cli
# Login and deploy
railway login
railway init
railway up

What's Next?

  1. 1

    Build Your Own

    Take what you've learned and build something you actually want to use. A portfolio site, a tool for your job, a side project idea you've been sitting on.

  2. 2

    Level Up

  3. 3

    Advanced Projects

    Ready for more? Try:

    • E-commerce with payments (Stripe)
    • Real-time chat (WebSockets)
    • Mobile app (React Native)
    • SaaS with subscriptions

Resources

Frameworks

Deployment

Learning