SpringArena

Project Version : 0.1 (Pre Release - Build in Progress)

Spring Arena is an interactive browser-based Spring Boot coding challenge platform. Users solve real backend challenges in a VS Code-like IDE, with instant test-run feedback.

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Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• Java 17+
• Maven 3.8+

How to Run Locally?

All together:

npm install
npm run dev

Separately:

Terminal 1 (Backend):

cd backend
mvn spring-boot:run

Terminal 2 (Frontend):

cd frontend
npm run dev

Then open: http://localhost:5173

Architecture

React Frontend (Browser IDE)
        ↓
Spring Boot Backend API
        ↓
Template + Challenge + User Code
        ↓
Test Execution
        ↓
Result Feedback

Project Structure

springarena/
├── frontend/              ## React + Monaco Editor
├── backend/               ## Spring Boot API
├── templates/             ## Reusable Spring Boot bases
├── challenges/            ## Challenge metadata & tests
├── runs/                  ## Temporary execution folders
├── workspace/             ## User progress storage
└── package.json           ## Root scripts

How It Works

1. User opens dashboard → Lists all available challenges
2. User selects challenge → Problem statement + editable code loaded
3. User writes code → Changes reflected in browser editor
4. User clicks Run → Code sent to backend
5. Backend assembles → Copies template + challenge starter files + user code
6. Maven runs tests → JUnit tests execute against user implementation
7. Results returned → Pass/fail feedback shown in browser

Challenges

Each challenge contains:

• metadata.json - Title, difficulty, template type
• prompt.md - Problem description
• starter-files/ - Editable code templates
• tests/ - JUnit test cases

Backend APIs

Method	Endpoint	Purpose
GET	/api/challenges	List all challenges
GET	/api/challenges/{id}	Get challenge details
POST	/api/challenges/{id}/run	Execute code & run tests

Tech Stack

• Frontend: React 18, Vite, Monaco Editor, TailwindCSS
• Backend: Spring Boot 3, Java 17, Maven
• Testing: JUnit 5, MockMvc

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Development

Adding a New Challenge

1. Create folder: challenges/challenge-XXX/
2. Add metadata.json:

   {
     "id": "challenge-XXX",
     "title": "Challenge Title",
     "difficulty": "easy|medium|hard",
     "template": "rest-template"
   }

3. Add prompt.md with requirements
4. Create starter-files/ with editable code
5. Create tests/ with JUnit test cases

Debugging

• Backend logs: backend/target/spring.log
• Frontend devtools: localhost:5173 → DevTools
• Test runs: runs/run-{id}/ (temp folders)

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Future Improvement Scope

Performance

• Challenge load: <1s
• Test run: <5s (easy), <10s (medium)
• Editor latency: imperceptible

Additional Features

• Docker isolated execution
• Leaderboards
• User accounts
• AI hints
• Advanced challenge types

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Note for Readers : If you want any feature, raise an Issue with detailed description