The Tech Stack Behind This Platform
Next.js 16, Clerk, Tailwind CSS v4, MDX, Gmail SMTP, UPI — the full stack at a glance.
The Tech Stack Behind This Platform
Every tool, and the one-line reason I picked it. For the backstory, see why I built this.
Framework & Language
Server-rendered by default. One codebase handles courses, lessons, and blog.
Type safety from course definitions to API routes. Fewer surprises in production.
Styling
Utility-first with CSS variables for theming. Dark mode and responsive layouts out of the box.
prose classes style all MDX content — no custom CSS per element.
Auth & Access Control
Sign-in, sessions, and middleware protection — free tier covers everything.
Enrollments, roles, and pending payments live in Clerk metadata. No database needed.
Content
Markdown + React components. Custom components like Callout, Exercise, and InfoGrid power every lesson.
All content is .mdx files in the repo. Version-controlled, diff-friendly, no CMS.
Payments
A upi://pay deep link, QR-encoded with the amount pre-filled. Zero npm dependencies.
Student submits their transaction ID. I approve with one tap from the notification email.
Access and payment notifications sent via Google App Password. No domain setup needed.
One-click approve button in every email — cryptographically signed, can't be forged.
Scheduling
Embedded on /meet. Checks my Google Calendar and auto-generates Meet links.
Every booking gets a unique link automatically — no manual setup.
Hosting
Push to main → deploy. Preview builds for PRs. Free tier.
Single repo for code and content. Full history of every lesson and config change.
What It Costs
Free tiers and open-source tools, all the way down.