Backend Capstone
Build and deploy a complete, tested, authenticated REST API from scratch — your first portfolio-ready backend project for hiring managers.
Why learn Backend Capstone?
This is not a course about learning a new tool, it is the course where everything from FastAPI & REST APIs, Database Design & ORMs, Auth & Security, and Docker & Deployment gets used together on one project: a complete, tested, authenticated REST API you plan, build, and deploy yourself.
It is 3 modules: Planning & Architecture, where you define requirements, design the database schema, and plan the API contract before writing a single line of code, Building the API, where you implement authentication, CRUD endpoints, access control, and a full test suite, and Deploy & Portfolio Presentation, where you Dockerize the project, set up CI/CD, deploy to a VPS with HTTPS, and write a portfolio-ready README.
The entire track is the capstone. By the end you have a live, deployed API and a README written the way hiring managers actually want to see one, not a repo that only runs on your own machine.
Who this course is for
- Developers who finished FastAPI & REST APIs, Database Design & ORMs, Auth & Security, and Docker & Deployment and want to put them together
- Anyone who wants a real, deployed backend project for a portfolio, not another tutorial repo
- Job seekers who need to explain a concrete project in interviews, not just list frameworks
- Backend learners who have built pieces before but never shipped a complete, authenticated API
What you'll build and practice
- A planned database schema and API contract written before any code
- A complete REST API with authentication, CRUD endpoints, and access control
- A full test suite covering the API you built
- The whole project Dockerized with a GitHub Actions CI/CD pipeline
- A live deployment on a cloud VPS with HTTPS, plus a portfolio-quality README
What you'll learn
Backend Capstone is organized into 3 focused modules. By the end you'll be comfortable with:
- Planning & Architecture
- Building the API
- Deploy & Portfolio Presentation
Course curriculum
12 lessons across 3 modules. Lessons marked Free preview are readable without an account.
Module 1. Planning & Architecture
Define requirements, design the database schema, and plan the API contract before writing a single line of code.
- 8mCapstone Project OverviewFree preview
Understand the scope and goals of the Backend Capstone: a complete, deployed, portfolio-ready API.
- 12mDesigning the Database SchemaFree preview
Design the production database schema for the Task Management API using entity relationships and normalization principles.
- 12mAPI Contract Design
Design the full REST API contract — endpoints, request bodies, and response shapes — before writing code.
- 10mProject Setup & Structure
Set up the FastAPI project with a professional directory structure, virtual environment, and initial boilerplate.
Module 2. Building the API
Implement authentication, CRUD endpoints, access control, and a full test suite.
- 15mImplementing Authentication
Implement JWT authentication with access and refresh tokens, bcrypt password hashing, and protected routes.
- 15mCRUD Endpoints & Access Control
Implement project and task CRUD with role-based access control — only owners can delete, members can edit.
- 15mTesting the API
Write a comprehensive test suite using pytest and HTTPX with a real test database.
- 10mCaching with Redis
Add Redis caching to expensive endpoints, with cache invalidation on writes.
Module 3. Deploy & Portfolio Presentation
Dockerise the capstone, set up CI/CD, deploy to a VPS with HTTPS, and write a portfolio-ready README.
- 12mDockerising the Capstone
Write the production Dockerfile and docker-compose.yml for the Task Management API.
- 12mCI/CD Pipeline for the Capstone
Set up a complete GitHub Actions pipeline: test on PR, build and deploy on merge to main.
- 10mPortfolio Presentation & README
Write a professional README that communicates your technical decisions and makes the project stand out to hiring managers.
- 8mCapstone Complete: What You Built
Review everything you built and deployed, and understand what this project demonstrates to employers.
Frequently asked questions
- What prior courses should I finish before starting Backend Capstone?
- FastAPI & REST APIs, Database Design & ORMs, Auth & Security, and Docker & Deployment. This track deliberately introduces no new concepts of its own; it is entirely about applying those four tracks to one real project from planning to a live deployment.
- Is this course teaching new concepts, or applying ones I already learned?
- Applying. Module 1 is planning and architecture, Module 2 is building the authenticated API with tests, and Module 3 is Dockerizing it, wiring up CI/CD, and deploying with HTTPS. Every step draws on skills from the four prerequisite tracks.
- Will I end up with something deployed and live, not just code on my laptop?
- Yes, that is the point of Module 3, Deploy & Portfolio Presentation: the API is Dockerized, put through a CI/CD pipeline, and deployed to a real cloud VPS with HTTPS, not left running only in a local terminal.
- Does the course help me write about this project for job applications?
- Yes. The final lessons specifically cover writing a portfolio-ready README, and a closing lesson walks through which parts of a typical backend job posting (REST APIs, PostgreSQL, authentication, Docker) this exact project demonstrates.
- How long does a project like this realistically take?
- It is built for a focused multi-session effort rather than a single sitting: planning and schema design first, then implementation with tests, then deployment. Learners who already finished the four prerequisite tracks tend to move through it steadily rather than getting stuck on unfamiliar concepts.
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