Coding Platform Backend API - Complete Implementation Plan
📋 Project Overview
Building a scalable coding platform backend with DSA evaluation, LLD patterns, and OpenAI integration.
🎯 Phase 1: Project Setup & Clean Architecture (Week 1)
Day 1-2: Environment Setup
1. Install Required Tools
Visual Studio 2022 or VS Code
.NET 7+ SDK
SQL Server (LocalDB or Express)
Postman for API testing
Git for version control
2. Create Solution Structure
dotnet new sln -n CodingPlatform
dotnet new webapi -n [Link]
dotnet new classlib -n [Link]
dotnet new classlib -n [Link]
dotnet new classlib -n [Link]
dotnet new xunit -n [Link]
3. Add Project References
API → Application → Core
Infrastructure → Core
Tests → All projects
Day 3-4: Core Domain Models
File: [Link]/Entities/
1. User Entity
csharp
public class User
{
public int Id { get; set; }
public string Username { get; set; }
public string Email { get; set; }
public string PasswordHash { get; set; }
public UserRole Role { get; set; }
public DateTime CreatedAt { get; set; }
public List<Submission> Submissions { get; set; }
}
2. Problem Entity
csharp
public class Problem
{
public int Id { get; set; }
public string Title { get; set; }
public string Description { get; set; }
public DifficultyLevel Difficulty { get; set; }
public List<string> Tags { get; set; }
public List<TestCase> TestCases { get; set; }
public TimeSpan TimeLimit { get; set; }
public int MemoryLimit { get; set; }
}
3. Submission Entity
csharp
public class Submission
{
public int Id { get; set; }
public int UserId { get; set; }
public int ProblemId { get; set; }
public string Code { get; set; }
public string Language { get; set; }
public SubmissionStatus Status { get; set; }
public int Score { get; set; }
public DateTime SubmittedAt { get; set; }
public List<TestResult> TestResults { get; set; }
}
Day 5-7: Repository Pattern & Database Setup
File: [Link]/
1. Install NuGet Packages
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
2. Create DbContext
csharp
public class CodingPlatformDbContext : DbContext
{
public DbSet<User> Users { get; set; }
public DbSet<Problem> Problems { get; set; }
public DbSet<Submission> Submissions { get; set; }
public DbSet<Contest> Contests { get; set; }
}
3. Implement Repository Pattern
csharp
public interface IRepository<T> where T : class
{
Task<T> GetByIdAsync(int id);
Task<IEnumerable<T>> GetAllAsync();
Task<T> AddAsync(T entity);
Task UpdateAsync(T entity);
Task DeleteAsync(int id);
}
🔧 Phase 2: DSA Evaluation Engine (Week 2-3)
Day 8-10: Code Execution Engine
File: [Link]/Services/Evaluation/
1. Strategy Pattern for Multiple Languages
csharp
public interface ICodeExecutor
{
Task<ExecutionResult> ExecuteAsync(string code, string input);
}
public class CSharpCodeExecutor : ICodeExecutor
{
public async Task<ExecutionResult> ExecuteAsync(string code, string input)
{
// Compile and execute C# code
// Return result with output, errors, execution time
}
}
2. Test Case Evaluation
csharp
public class CodeEvaluationService
{
private readonly ICodeExecutor _executor;
public async Task<EvaluationResult> EvaluateSubmissionAsync(
string code,
string language,
List<TestCase> testCases)
{
var results = new List<TestResult>();
foreach (var testCase in testCases)
{
var result = await _executor.ExecuteAsync(code, [Link]);
[Link](new TestResult
{
Passed = [Link] == [Link],
ExecutionTime = [Link],
MemoryUsed = [Link]
});
}
return new EvaluationResult { TestResults = results };
}
}
Day 11-14: Advanced DSA Features
1. Time & Space Complexity Analysis
2. Custom Judge for Special Problems
3. Batch Processing for Multiple Submissions
4. Security Sandboxing
🎨 Phase 3: LLD Design Patterns Implementation (Week 4-5)
Day 15-17: Core Patterns Implementation
1. Factory Pattern for AI Services
csharp
public interface IAIServiceFactory
{
IAIService CreateHintService();
IAIService CreateExplanationService();
IAIService CreateCodeReviewService();
}
2. Observer Pattern for Notifications
csharp
public interface INotificationObserver
{
Task NotifyAsync(NotificationEvent eventData);
}
public class ContestNotificationService : INotificationObserver
{
public async Task NotifyAsync(NotificationEvent eventData)
{
// Send contest notifications
}
}
3. Command Pattern for Submission Processing
csharp
public interface ICommand
{
Task ExecuteAsync();
}
public class SubmissionProcessingCommand : ICommand
{
public async Task ExecuteAsync()
{
// Process submission asynchronously
}
}
Day 18-21: Advanced Patterns
1. Adapter Pattern for OpenAI Integration
2. Template Method for Evaluation Pipeline
3. Decorator Pattern for Enhanced Features
4. Chain of Responsibility for Validation
🤖 Phase 4: OpenAI Integration (Week 6)
Day 22-24: Basic AI Services
File: [Link]/Services/AI/
1. OpenAI Service Setup
csharp
public class OpenAIService : IAIService
{
private readonly HttpClient _httpClient;
private readonly string _apiKey;
public async Task<string> GetHintAsync(string problemDescription)
{
var prompt = $"Give a beginner-friendly hint for: {problemDescription}";
return await CallOpenAIAsync(prompt);
}
public async Task<string> ExplainCodeAsync(string code)
{
var prompt = $"Explain what this code does: {code}";
return await CallOpenAIAsync(prompt);
}
}
2. AI Feature Integration
Hint generation system
Code explanation service
Automated code review
Interview preparation chatbot
Day 25-28: Advanced AI Features
1. Personalized Learning Paths
2. Code Optimization Suggestions
3. Difficulty Adjustment Based on Performance
4. Mock Interview System
🔐 Phase 5: Authentication & Authorization (Week 7)
Day 29-31: JWT Implementation
1. Install JWT Packages
[Link]
[Link]
2. Authentication Service
csharp
public class AuthService
{
public async Task<AuthResult> LoginAsync(string username, string password)
{
// Validate credentials
// Generate JWT token
// Return auth result
}
}
3. Role-Based Authorization
csharp
[Authorize(Roles = "Admin")]
public class AdminController : ControllerBase
{
// Admin-only endpoints
}
Day 32-35: Security Features
1. Password Hashing (BCrypt)
2. Token Refresh Mechanism
3. Rate Limiting
4. Input Validation & Sanitization
🏆 Phase 6: Contest System & Leaderboard (Week 8)
Day 36-38: Contest Management
1. Contest Entity & Services
csharp
public class Contest
{
public int Id { get; set; }
public string Title { get; set; }
public DateTime StartTime { get; set; }
public DateTime EndTime { get; set; }
public List<Problem> Problems { get; set; }
public List<User> Participants { get; set; }
}
2. Scheduling System
csharp
public class ContestScheduler
{
public async Task ScheduleContestAsync(Contest contest)
{
// Schedule contest start/end events
// Notify participants
}
}
Day 39-42: Leaderboard System
1. Real-time Ranking Calculation
2. Caching for Performance
3. Multiple Ranking Algorithms
4. Historical Performance Tracking
📊 Phase 7: API Controllers & Endpoints (Week 9)
Day 43-45: Core API Controllers
1. Problems Controller
csharp
[ApiController]
[Route("api/[controller]")]
public class ProblemsController : ControllerBase
{
[HttpGet]
public async Task<IActionResult> GetProblems([FromQuery] ProblemFilter filter)
{
// Return filtered problems
}
[HttpPost("{id}/submit")]
public async Task<IActionResult> SubmitSolution(int id, [FromBody] SubmissionDto submission)
{
// Process submission
}
}
2. User Management Controller
3. Contest Controller
4. Leaderboard Controller
Day 46-49: API Documentation & Testing
1. Swagger/OpenAPI Documentation
2. API Versioning
3. Response Standardization
4. Error Handling Middleware
🧪 Phase 8: Testing Strategy (Week 10)
Day 50-52: Unit Testing
1. Service Layer Tests
csharp
[Test]
public async Task EvaluateSubmission_ValidCode_ReturnsCorrectResult()
{
// Arrange
var evaluationService = new CodeEvaluationService();
// Act
var result = await [Link](...);
// Assert
[Link]([Link]);
}
2. Repository Tests with InMemory Database
3. AI Service Tests with Mocked Responses
Day 53-56: Integration Testing
1. API Endpoint Tests
2. Database Integration Tests
3. End-to-End Workflow Tests
4. Performance Testing
🚀 Phase 9: Deployment & Production (Week 11)
Day 57-59: Deployment Setup
1. Docker Configuration
dockerfile
FROM [Link]/dotnet/aspnet:7.0
WORKDIR /app
COPY . .
EXPOSE 80
ENTRYPOINT ["dotnet", "[Link]"]
2. Azure/AWS Deployment
3. Database Migration Scripts
4. Environment Configuration
Day 60-63: Production Readiness
1. Logging & Monitoring
2. Health Checks
3. Backup Strategies
4. Performance Optimization
📈 Phase 10: Advanced Features (Week 12+)
Optional Enhancements
1. Machine Learning for Difficulty Prediction
2. Code Plagiarism Detection
3. Real-time Collaboration Features
4. Mobile App Backend Support
5. Advanced Analytics Dashboard
🛠️ Development Tools & Best Practices
Essential Tools
Version Control: Git with GitFlow
API Testing: Postman collections
Database: SQL Server Management Studio
CI/CD: GitHub Actions or Azure DevOps
Monitoring: Application Insights or Serilog
Code Quality Standards
SOLID Principles
Clean Code Practices
Comprehensive Documentation
Regular Code Reviews
Automated Testing Pipeline
📚 Learning Resources
Recommended Reading
1. Clean Architecture by Robert C. Martin
2. Design Patterns by Gang of Four
3. Building Microservices by Sam Newman
4. [Link] Core Documentation
5. Entity Framework Core Documentation
Online Resources
Microsoft Learn (.NET)
Pluralsight (Design Patterns)
LeetCode (DSA Problems)
OpenAI API Documentation
🎯 Success Metrics
Technical Metrics
API Response Time < 200ms
99.9% Uptime
Code Coverage > 80%
Zero Security Vulnerabilities
Business Metrics
User Submission Success Rate
Contest Participation Growth
AI Feature Usage Statistics
Performance Improvement Tracking
🔄 Next Steps After Completion
1. Frontend Development (React/Angular)
2. Mobile App (Flutter/React Native)
3. Advanced AI Features
4. Microservices Architecture
5. Real-time Features (SignalR)
This comprehensive plan will take approximately 12 weeks with 2 hours/day commitment. Each phase
builds upon the previous one, ensuring a solid foundation while incorporating industry best practices.