🎓 Modern LMS Platform

A modern course platform (LMS) built with Next.js 15, React 19, Stripe, Drizzle ORM, Shadcn UI, and PostgreSQL — focused on best practices, caching, and scalable project structure.

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🚀 Getting Started

1. Prerequisites

• Node.js
• Docker
• Stripe CLI (for local webhook testing)

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2. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/ACmaster7/course-platform
cd course-platform-project

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3. Set Up Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the root of the project and copy values from .env.example.

❗️You must fill out all values in .env before running the project — otherwise the app will throw an error on startup.

Example:

DB_PASSWORD=password
DB_USER=postgres
DB_NAME=course-platform
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=5432
...

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4. Start PostgreSQL via Docker

This project uses a PostgreSQL container managed by Docker Compose.

docker-compose up -d

This will:

• Start a postgres:17.0 container
• Map container port 5432 to your local machine’s 5432 (by default)
• Use credentials and port from your .env file

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⚠️ Port Conflict Notice

If port 5432 is already in use on your machine change the DB_PORT value in .env (e.g., to 5434)

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5. 📦 Install Dependencies & Set Up Database

Since the project uses a canary version of Next.js, run with --force:

npm install --force

Once the database container is up and dependencies are installed, generate the schema and migrate tables into the database:

npm run db:generate
npm run db:migrate

This will create and apply the database schema defined using Drizzle ORM.

You can now view and explore the database tables using:

npm run db:studio

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6. 🔐 Configure Required Services

📇 Clerk (Authentication)

1. Go to Clerk.com and create a free account.
2. Create a new application.
3. Get the following values from your Clerk dashboard and add them to your .env:

**Note: CLERK_WEBHOOK_SIGNING_SECRET – You will get this value in Step 7 when you create the Clerk webhook.

CLERK_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_...
CLERK_WEBHOOK_SIGNING_SECRET=whsec_... 
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_test_...
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_SIGN_IN_URL=/sign-in
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_SIGN_IN_FALLBACK_REDIRECT_URL=/
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_SIGN_UP_URL=/sign-up
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_SIGN_UP_FALLBACK_REDIRECT_URL=/

⚠️ Important: You must have your Clerk webhook set up before creating a user, so the PostgreSQL database can sync with Clerk. Otherwise, the app's logic will break.

👤 To test admin features: After creating a user, go to the Clerk dashboard → Users tab → Metadata section → Public → Edit → Set role to admin → Save. Make sure the webhook is set up so the change is reflected in your database.

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💳 Stripe (Payments)

1. Go to Stripe Dashboard.
2. Get your keys and create promo codes as needed.
3. Add the following values:

STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_...
NEXT_PUBLIC_STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_test_...

STRIPE_PPP_50_COUPON_ID=your_coupon_id_here
STRIPE_PPP_40_COUPON_ID=your_coupon_id_here
STRIPE_PPP_30_COUPON_ID=your_coupon_id_here
STRIPE_PPP_20_COUPON_ID=your_coupon_id_here

🧪 To test a purchase in dev mode, use the test card number: 4242 4242 4242 4242
You can enter any valid date, CVC, and name in the other inputs.

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🛡️ Arcjet (Bot Protection)

1. Sign up at Arcjet.com and create a project.
2. Copy your Arcjet key:

ARCJET_KEY=your_arcjet_key_here

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🌐 Other

NEXT_PUBLIC_SERVER_URL=http://localhost:3000

# Optional:
# TEST_IP_ADDRESS=1.187.0.0  # A test IP address from India to simulate regional coupons (e.g., PPP discounts)

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7. 🔁 Set Up Webhooks

📇 Clerk Webhooks

To forward Clerk webhook events to your local server:

1. In VS Code, open the Ports tab.
2. Click “Forward a Port”, enter 3000, then hit Enter.
3. After the URL is generated (e.g., https://[random-chararcters]-3000.use2.devtunnels.ms/):
   • Right-click → Make port visibility Public
4. Copy the URL and set up a webhook in Clerk:

[YOUR_PUBLIC_URL]/api/webhooks/clerk

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💳 Stripe Webhooks

To receive Stripe events locally:

stripe login
stripe listen --forward-to http://localhost:3000/api/webhooks/stripe

Copy the whsec_... key it gives you and add it to .env:

STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_...

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8. ✅ Run the Development Server

Once everything is configured and installed:

npm run dev

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9. 🌱 Seed the Database

To populate the database with initial data:

http://localhost:3000/api/seed

Navigate to that URL after starting the dev server.

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