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Decrypt CTF Platform
Full-featured competitive programming platform with challenges, real-time leaderboards, certificates, and admin panel for Devs@PSU CTF events
React 18TypeScriptTailwind CSSSupabaseViteshadcn/uiPostgreSQL
The Problem
Running cybersecurity competitions requires expensive platforms or complex self-hosted solutions. Devs@PSU needed a custom platform that could handle coding challenges, track progress, manage participants, and award certificates - all with a cyber-themed aesthetic.
The Approach
Built a complete competition platform from scratch:
Challenge System:
- Multiple coding challenges with varying difficulty levels
- Real-time submission validation
- Progress tracking per user
- Hint system with point penalties
Competition Features:
- Real-time leaderboard with live score updates
- User profiles with statistics and achievements
- Certificate generation for participants
- Event management with start/end times
Admin Panel:
- Challenge creation and management
- User administration and role assignment
- Event settings and configuration
- Analytics and participation tracking
Technical Stack:
- React 18 with TypeScript for type safety
- Cyber-themed UI with Tailwind CSS
- Supabase for real-time database and auth
- Vite for fast builds and HMR
The Impact
Successfully hosted multiple CTF events for Devs@PSU with 20+ participants each. Platform handles real-time scoring, certificate generation, and event management. PWA-ready with service worker caching for offline access.
Build Notes
Database Schema:
- profiles - User information and roles
- challenges - Challenge definitions with difficulty
- challenge_progress - User submissions and scores
- user_summary - Aggregated statistics
- certificates - Certificate records
- event_settings - Global configuration
Performance Optimizations:
- Code splitting and lazy loading
- Image optimization
- Font preloading
- CSS purging
- Service worker caching
- PWA manifest for mobile