LeetMeOut - Online Coding Platform

Situation

Practicing for technical interviews requires a robust, realistic environment where you can write code, run it against test cases, and track your progress over time. Existing platforms like LeetCode are incredibly powerful, but understanding how they operate under the hood—from managing user authentication and securely executing arbitrary code to tracking detailed submission analytics—is a fascinating engineering challenge.

Task

The goal was to architect a full-stack competitive programming platform from scratch. The system needed to:

• Provide a curated library of coding problems with rich text editorials and hints.
• Offer an in-browser code editor with multi-language support and syntax highlighting.
• Safely execute user-submitted code against predefined test cases.
• Maintain persistent user profiles tracking total submissions, success rates, and solved problems.
• Ensure strict role-based access to allow admins to create and manage problems securely.

Action

I built LeetMeOut as a modern web application utilizing the Next.js App Router, leveraging Clerk for robust authentication and PostgreSQL (via Prisma ORM) for reliable data persistence.

1. Interactive Coding Environment

• Integrated the Monaco Editor (the engine behind VS Code) into the React frontend, allowing for a seamless, IDE-like coding experience right in the browser.
• Configured support for multiple programming languages and dark/light mode toggling utilizing next-themes and Tailwind CSS.

2. Remote Code Execution

• Connected the platform to Judge0, a robust open-source remote code execution engine.
• Engineered the submission pipeline to send user code and test cases to the Judge0 API, process the execution results (including time and memory limits), and return real-time feedback on passes or failures.

3. Data Modeling & Analytics

• Designed a comprehensive relational schema in PostgreSQL using Prisma ORM to track Users, Problems, Playlists, and Submissions.
• Built dynamic user profile dashboards that aggregate submission data, calculate success rates, and visualize progress across different problem difficulties.

Result

LeetMeOut effectively replicates the core mechanics of top-tier coding platforms.

• Realistic Practice Experience: Users can write, test, and submit code with instant, accurate feedback.
• Robust Architecture: Offloading code execution to Judge0 ensures the Next.js backend remains secure and performant, avoiding the risks of running untrusted code on the main server.
• Deep Analytics: The platform's ability to track submission history and memory/runtime usage provides users with valuable insights to improve their problem-solving efficiency.