Full-Stack Message Board

The Full-Stack Message Board is a real-time discussion application where users can create threads and post replies without refreshing the page. It is designed for small, focused conversations and emphasizes responsive updates and clear data flow between frontend and backend. The project was built to explore full-stack architecture, GraphQL-based APIs, and real-time communication using subscriptions.

Preview

Features

• Create top-level discussion threads
• Post replies within threads
• Real-time updates via GraphQL subscriptions
• Lightweight anonymous user sessions
• API-driven state management across frontend and backend
• Responsive UI with immediate feedback

Tech Stack

Frontend

• React
• TypeScript
• Next.js
• Apollo Client

Backend

• Node.js
• KeystoneJS
• GraphQL (queries, mutations, subscriptions)
• SQLite

What I focused on

• Designing a clean GraphQL schema for threads, replies, and sessions
• Implementing real-time updates with GraphQL subscriptions
• Managing frontend state updates via Apollo cache merging
• Keeping the architecture simple while maintaining clear separation of concerns
• End-to-end data flow from database to UI without page reloads