Azure Cloud Exams: A Community-Driven Open Source Project

Eduard-Constantin Ibinceanu
Eduard-Constantin Ibinceanu
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    In a Nutshell

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    What began as a personal project to prepare for the AZ-900 certification exam has blossomed into an expansive open-source platform.

    Azure Cloud Exams is a web application designed to streamline the learning and preparation process for various Azure certification exams.

    The platform offers two modes: practice and exam. The practice mode provides instant feedback for a thorough learning experience, while the exam mode is a timed simulation that helps evaluate your readiness.

    Tech Stack

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    • Framework - NextJS with TypeScript

    • Styling -

      TailwindCSS with Class Variance Authority

    • Data Handling -

      GraphQL for querying scrapped data sets

    • Form Management - React Hook Form, Formik

    • Version Control - GitHub

    • Deployment - Azure Static Web Apps with CI/CD pipeline

    • Utilities - CookieConsent v3 (for Google Analytics)

    Community Contributions

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    The project saw a significant expansion during Hacktoberfest 2023 event, thanks to the collective efforts of the open-source community. Contributors played a crucial role in implementing the majority of the features that transitioned the app from a single-exam focus to a rich exam preparation platform. Their dedication and support have been instrumental in the project’s ongoing success and evolution.

    The project’s significance was further amplified when it was forked by Ditectrev, who expanded the platform by adding exam preparation tests for other platforms like AWS or GCP. This collaboration highlights the project’s scalability and the community’s dedication to enhancing educational tools.

    Takeaways

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    The Azure Cloud Exams project provided me a practical journey into the Azure ecosystem and it opened my eyes to the vast capabilities and services that this platform has to offer.

    • I gained valuable experience in cloud resource management, specifically by deploying services like CosmosDB and Azure Static Web Apps effectively.

    • The integration of Apollo and GraphQL proved to be a game-changer for the Q&A feature. By leveraging their power, I was able to craft dynamic and efficient queries, elevating the app's interactivity to a new level. This implementation changed my data management and retrieval processes, streamlining them for optimal efficiency and user engagement.

    • Through TailwindCSS and CVA, I learned to create reusable custom-styled components that brought a touch of elegance and simplicity to the project's interface design.

    • The integration of CI/CD pipeline showed me the beauty of automated workflows in modern software development. Seeing my changes automatically deployed to the app felt like magic.

    • Collaborative problem-solving within the open-source community fueled my passion for teamwork and innovation even more.

    This project has been a fantastic journey of discovery and growth. It ignited a passion for continuous learning and pushed me to strive for innovation.

    I look forward to future challenges, eager to apply these skills and contribute to impactful projects.

    Future Plans

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    While there are no immediate plans for further development, my hope is that the community will return for the next Hacktoberfest event to continue enriching the project with new features and functionalities.

    Whether you’re looking to add new features or improve existing ones, your support is welcome!

    👉 GitHub repository: https://github.com/eduardconstantin/azure-cloud-exams

    👉 Live app: https://nice-sky-0509a9903.2.azurestaticapps.net

    Eduard-Constantin Ibinceanu
    Eduard-Constantin Ibinceanu Get in touch

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