Overview
Apply Digital is a digital product agency where teams are assigned per project.
During my co-op term, I worked on a warm-up project and one client project, experiencing both independent development and team-based delivery.
I joined the client project at a late stage, where the focus was on preparing for UAT and initial release. This required quickly understanding the existing system and contributing under tight timelines.
My Role & Scope
Worked as a full-stack co-op developer contributing to a contest platform project.
Major works:
- Built frontend features using React and Next.js
- Integrated Contentful CMS for dynamic content handling
- Supported backend development with NestJS and PostgreSQL
- Fixed bugs identified through QA and client feedback
- Participated in UAT and production release support
Key Projects
1. Contest Platform
Worked on a sports challenge contest platform where users can register and participate in campaigns.
Feature Development & Stabilization
- Implemented frontend features based on project requirements
- Integrated CMS-driven content into user flows
- Resolved bugs during QA and client testing phases
- Handled edge cases identified during pre-release validation
Project Adaptation
- Quickly ramped up on an unfamiliar codebase and project structure
- Understood user flows by reviewing documentation, demos, and code
- Adapted to client-driven requirements and frequent feedback cycles
2. Warm-up Project (HN Feed)
Independently built a full-stack application to simulate production-like development.
Full-stack Development
- Built a Next.js + NestJS application integrating external API (Hacker News)
- Designed API with pagination and soft delete handling
- Implemented MongoDB data persistence
Engineering Decisions
- Chose SSR over SSG based on data update frequency
- Implemented offset-based pagination for usability
- Applied soft delete strategy to prevent re-fetching removed data
Testing & CI
- Wrote unit tests using Vitest and Jest
- Set up GitLab CI pipeline for build, test, and deploy stages
- Configured local CI testing using Docker
This project helped build a solid foundation in TypeScript, Next.js, NestJS, and testing practices.