Docker Compose

Local development uses Docker Compose for the backend services only:

docker compose up

That starts:

• backend (localhost:8000)
• websocket / Yjs (localhost:1234)
• yjs worker
• Redis (localhost:6379)
• Postgres (localhost:5432)

Then run the frontend directly on the host:

cd frontend
pnpm install
pnpm run dev

For a production-style backend deployment, use:

docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d --build

That production compose file starts the backend, websocket / Yjs service, yjs worker, Redis, and Postgres. It does not run the Next.js frontend.

Local dev supports localhost, 127.0.0.1, and 0.0.0.0.

If the production server is accessed remotely, set DJANGO_ALLOWED_HOSTS, CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS, and CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS to the server's public host. NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL and NEXT_PUBLIC_YJS_WS_URL are optional for the direct-port setup for a separately deployed frontend; if omitted, the frontend derives them from the current browser hostname and uses ports 8000 and 1234.

Manual Frontend

It's Nextjs. Make sure to install pnpm first.

cd frontend
pnpm i
pnpm run dev

Manual Backend

All of the following instructions require you to be in the backend folder:

cd backend

We're using Django for the backend. You will want to use a virtual environment. You can create one using these commands (Windows Command Prompt):

python -m venv venv

There are a few ways to activate it, but an easy way is to run:

"venv/Scripts/activate"

There may be changes to the pip packages used every so often, so initially install and update them using:

pip install -r requirements.txt

The development sqlite3 database will not be stored on the repo because it would get overwritten constantly and quite possibly cause a lot of merge conflicts. Therefore, to prevent any of these issues, create a local database using:

python manage.py migrate

This will automatically create the sqlite3 database file. This command is also required to update your local database when any migrations are made (ex: renaming a column in a table). Therefore, it is recommended that you run this every time you pull from the repo and wish to run the local server.

To run the server, execute:

python manage.py runserver

Core Concept

Kids learn to code by dragging and dropping visual blocks instead of typing syntax, and their programs control interactive 2D games with sprites.

Key Features

• Visual code editor - Blockly-based block programming
• Game preview - Real-time Phaser game rendering
• Sprite editor - Create and manage game objects
• Project management - Save, organize, and share projects
• Collaboration - Organizations and project sharing with permissions

Tech Stack

• Frontend: Next.js 15 + React 19, Blockly, Phaser 4, Zustand, Tailwind CSS
• Backend: Django REST Framework with user accounts, projects, and organizations