3 Months Intermediate

Full-Stack in 3 Months

A 12-week structured roadmap to become a hireable full-stack developer. React, Node, databases, auth, deployment — mapped to real BigDevSoon full-stack projects: Find Movies, Any Chat, and FoodieGo.

Week-by-week plan

Week 1: React refresher + project setup

Refresh React: hooks, state, effects, lists, forms · Set up your dev environment (Node, package manager, editor) · Learn React Query / SWR for data fetching

Goals

• Refresh React: hooks, state, effects, lists, forms
• Set up your dev environment (Node, package manager, editor)
• Learn React Query / SWR for data fetching

Projects

→ Quiz App — /projects/quiz-app/ (refresh React fundamentals)

Challenges

→ Card Wallet — /challenges/card-wallet/
→ Pricing Plans — /challenges/pricing-plans/

Practice Problems

→ Reverse String — /problems/reverse-string/
→ Two Sum — /problems/two-sum/

Week 2: REST API consumption

Fetch, async/await, error handling · Loading states, retries, optimistic UI · Pagination + infinite scroll

Goals

• Fetch, async/await, error handling
• Loading states, retries, optimistic UI
• Pagination + infinite scroll

Projects

→ Just Weather — /projects/just-weather/

Challenges

→ Recipe — /challenges/recipe/
→ Article Slider — /challenges/article-slider/

Practice Problems

→ Find Max — /problems/find-max/
→ Sort Array — /problems/sort-array/

Week 3: Build your first backend API

Pick a backend stack (Node.js/Express, Next.js API routes, or Supabase) · Build CRUD endpoints with validation · Connect to a database (PostgreSQL or Supabase)

Goals

• Pick a backend stack (Node.js/Express, Next.js API routes, or Supabase)
• Build CRUD endpoints with validation
• Connect to a database (PostgreSQL or Supabase)

Projects

→ Pokedex — /projects/pokedex/ (consume + extend with your own API)

Challenges

→ Job Board — /challenges/job-board/

Practice Problems

→ Group Anagrams — /problems/group-anagrams/
→ Three Sum — /problems/three-sum/

Week 4: Database schema design

Relational vs document databases · Schema design with foreign keys, indexes · Migrations and seed data · ORMs (Prisma, Drizzle) vs raw SQL

Goals

• Relational vs document databases
• Schema design with foreign keys, indexes
• Migrations and seed data
• ORMs (Prisma, Drizzle) vs raw SQL

Projects

→ Notely — /projects/notely/ (with your own backend)

Challenges

→ Shopping List — /challenges/shopping-list/

Practice Problems

→ Merge Sorted Lists — /problems/merge-sorted-lists/

Week 5: Auth — sessions, JWTs, OAuth

Session-based vs token-based auth · JWT structure, signing, validation · OAuth flows (GitHub, Google) · Password hashing, secure cookie storage

Goals

• Session-based vs token-based auth
• JWT structure, signing, validation
• OAuth flows (GitHub, Google)
• Password hashing, secure cookie storage

Projects

→ Notely — /projects/notely/ (add user accounts)

Challenges

→ Sign Up Page — /challenges/sign-up-page/
→ Create Account — /challenges/create-account/

Practice Problems

→ Best Time Buy Sell Stock — /problems/best-time-buy-sell-stock/

Week 6: First full-stack project end-to-end

Build a project with frontend, backend, DB, and auth · Deploy frontend (Vercel) + backend (Railway / Render / Fly) · Set up environment variables and secrets properly

Goals

• Build a project with frontend, backend, DB, and auth
• Deploy frontend (Vercel) + backend (Railway / Render / Fly)
• Set up environment variables and secrets properly

Projects

→ Find Movies — /projects/find-movies/ (your full-stack flagship #1)

Challenges

→ Movie Ticket — /challenges/movie-ticket/

Practice Problems

→ Max Subarray — /problems/max-subarray/

Week 7: Real-time + WebSockets

Polling vs SSE vs WebSockets — when each makes sense · Build a realtime chat or live-update feature · Handle reconnects and dropped connections

Goals

• Polling vs SSE vs WebSockets — when each makes sense
• Build a realtime chat or live-update feature
• Handle reconnects and dropped connections

Projects

→ Any Chat — /projects/any-chat/ (full-stack realtime chat)

Challenges

→ Messages — /challenges/messages/
→ Notifications — /challenges/notifications/

Practice Problems

→ Top K Frequent Elements — /problems/top-k-frequent-elements/

Week 8: File uploads + storage

Multipart form data, file size limits, MIME types · Upload to S3 / Supabase Storage / Cloudinary · Image optimization at the edge

Goals

• Multipart form data, file size limits, MIME types
• Upload to S3 / Supabase Storage / Cloudinary
• Image optimization at the edge

Projects

→ GifTok — /projects/giftok/ (with your own image upload backend)

Challenges

→ Upload Images — /challenges/upload-images/
→ Images Preview — /challenges/images-preview/

Practice Problems

→ Container Most Water — /problems/container-most-water/

Week 9: State management at scale

When to lift state, use context, or reach for a store · Server state (React Query) vs client state (Zustand) · Optimistic updates and rollbacks

Goals

• When to lift state, use context, or reach for a store
• Server state (React Query) vs client state (Zustand)
• Optimistic updates and rollbacks

Projects

→ Dashboard — /projects/dashboard/

Challenges

→ Task Board — /challenges/task-board/
→ Dashboard — /challenges/dashboard/

Practice Problems

→ Product Except Self — /problems/product-except-self/
→ Longest Consecutive — /problems/longest-consecutive/

Week 10: Payments + e-commerce

Stripe Checkout vs Payment Intents · Webhooks, signature verification · Subscription billing, prorations, cancellations

Goals

• Stripe Checkout vs Payment Intents
• Webhooks, signature verification
• Subscription billing, prorations, cancellations

Projects

→ FoodieGo — /projects/foodiego/ (start: cart + checkout flow)

Challenges

→ Add To Bag — /challenges/add-to-bag/
→ Restaurant Reservation — /challenges/restaurant-reservation/

Practice Problems

→ Word Break — /problems/word-break/

Week 11: Performance + observability

Frontend perf: code splitting, lazy loading, image optimization · Backend perf: caching, indexes, query optimization · Logging, error tracking (Sentry), basic metrics

Goals

• Frontend perf: code splitting, lazy loading, image optimization
• Backend perf: caching, indexes, query optimization
• Logging, error tracking (Sentry), basic metrics

Projects

→ FoodieGo — /projects/foodiego/ (continue: optimize + monitor)

Practice Problems

→ Search Rotated Array — /problems/search-rotated-array/

Week 12: Ship your full-stack flagship

Polish the UI to match Figma pixel-perfect · Custom domain, HTTPS, analytics · Write a case study README explaining architecture decisions · Share publicly + collect first user feedback

Goals

• Polish the UI to match Figma pixel-perfect
• Custom domain, HTTPS, analytics
• Write a case study README explaining architecture decisions
• Share publicly + collect first user feedback

Projects

→ FoodieGo — /projects/foodiego/ (ship the flagship)

Practice Problems

→ Binary Tree Level Order Traversal — /problems/binary-tree-level-order-traversal/

Three months from “knows React” to “ships full-stack products that work in production.” This plan is for developers ready to learn the backend half of the stack the right way — schemas, auth, deployment, and all.

Who this is for

You can already build React apps with hooks, state, and API calls
You have 2–3 hours per day, 6 days per week
You want to be hireable as a full-stack developer by Week 12
You want depth — proper schemas, real auth, real deployments

If you’re new to React, start with Frontend in 3 Months and come back here.

What you’ll have at the end

3 deployed full-stack apps with backends, databases, and auth:
1. Find Movies — REST API consumption + your own backend
2. Any Chat — realtime messaging with WebSockets
3. FoodieGo (flagship) — full e-commerce with auth, cart, checkout, payments
9+ smaller projects completed across the 12 weeks
20+ daily challenges completed
15+ practice problems solved
A portfolio with deployed URLs you can show in interviews
Working knowledge of Node.js, databases, auth, real-time, file uploads, and payments

Tech stack recommendations

Pick one stack and stick with it for the 12 weeks. Don’t switch mid-plan.

Easiest: React + Supabase (Postgres + auth + realtime + storage in one). Recommended for speed.
Most flexible: React + Node.js/Express + PostgreSQL + Auth0. Recommended for learning everything from scratch.
Modern Next.js: Next.js App Router + Prisma + tRPC + Clerk + Vercel Postgres. Recommended if you want to learn Next.js.

How to use this plan

Ship every week. Even if buggy. Real deployment URL by Sunday.
Real backend, real database. Don’t fake it with localStorage or mocks.
Use Merlin AI as a tutor. Open the editor and paste tricky code — ask AI to explain or review.
Treat each week’s deploy like a real release. Custom subdomain, env vars, DB migrations.
Public commitment. Share Week 6 (Find Movies) and Week 12 (FoodieGo) projects on Twitter/Dev.to/Reddit.

Milestones

End of Week 4: First database-backed app deployed
End of Week 6: First full-stack project with auth (Find Movies)
End of Week 8: Comfortable with realtime + file uploads
End of Week 12: Shipped a complex full-stack flagship (FoodieGo) with payments

After Week 12

Apply for full-stack roles. Your portfolio is genuinely hireable.
Read the Frontend Interview Playbook 2026 and React Interview Playbook 2026
Pick a system design problem and design the architecture out loud
Contribute to open source — start with backend issues to deepen your range
Build a side project that solves a real problem you have

Ready to start Week 1? Open Quiz App for a React refresher, then we’ll dive into the backend in Week 3. Let’s go.

Ready to start Week 1?

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