CS Portfolio Hosting Application

Portfolio Hosting application for Computer Sceince and Software Engineering students at MNSU.

About the Project

During my time at Minnesota State University, I contributed to the development of a web application designed to securely host student portfolios for the Computer Science and Twin Cities Engineering programs. The platform plays a critical role in accreditation processes by storing portfolio artifacts and also provides a way for students to visually share their work through Google Sites integration.

The Problem

Manual portfolio submission process
Difficulty maintaining a centralized, accessible system
Need for secure, scalable file hosting
Desire for a simple way for students to visually share their portfolios
Cost concerns around building or purchasing a hosting solution

Solution

Built a secure file hosting web application using Azure Blob Storage
Created an easy-to-use React frontend for portfolio file uploads
Integrated SQLite with Drizzle ORM to manage portfolio metadata
Enabled students to generate links for embedding their stored portfolio files into Google Sites for external sharing
Conducted a research phase to evaluate buy vs build options by interviewing stakeholders and comparing potential platforms based on features and costs

Tech Stack

Frontend: Next.js (React-based)
Backend: Node.js (T3 Stack principles)
Database: SQLite with Drizzle ORM
Cloud Storage: Azure Blob Storage
Additional Tools: TypeScript, TailwindCSS, Google Sites

Application Flow

📝 Students upload portfolio artifacts
↳ Through a secure React frontend linked to the storage system.
🛠️ Files are stored in Azure Blob Storage
↳ Large media files and documents are securely stored in the cloud.
🗄️ Metadata is saved using SQLite with Drizzle ORM
↳ Key details about each portfolio item are organized and indexed.
🖥️ Faculty access and review portfolios easily
↳ Centralized access supports accreditation reviews and evaluation.
🌐 Students share their portfolios through Google Sites
↳ Students can generate links that embed their stored files into Google Sites for easy visual sharing with employers, faculty, or peers.

Research Phase: Buy vs Build

Before development began, I led a research phase to evaluate whether it would be more effective to purchase an existing solution or build a custom application. I interviewed stakeholders, analyzed technical and financial trade-offs, and researched multiple hosting options. After assessing cost, flexibility, and long-term needs, we decided that building a lightweight, secure backend file hosting system paired with Google Sites for visual display would best meet project goals.

What I Learned

This project taught me how to approach technical architecture decisions pragmatically by balancing cost, technical feasibility, and user needs. I strengthened my skills in full-stack development, cloud storage integration, and working with database modeling tools like Drizzle ORM. It also deepened my understanding of stakeholder communication and early-stage project planning.

Impact

The CS Portfolio Hosting Application provided a scalable, secure, and cost-effective system for hosting and managing student portfolios. It allowed faculty to easily review accreditation materials while giving students a simple, professional way to share their work publicly through Google Sites.

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