Full Stack Projects With Source Code: 18 Checked GitHub Repositories in MERN, Django, Next.js and Spring Boot

Language-agnostic spec (API spec docs and an E2E test suite)

WhatThe RealWorld spec repo ('the mother of all demo apps'): one Medium.com-clone defined by a shared API spec (specs/api), a shared end-to-end test suite (specs/e2e) and a shared CSS theme, with 100+ community implementations indexed on CodebaseShow.

LearnWhat a realistic full-stack feature set is (auth, CRUD, favourites, follows, pagination, tags), how to design to an API contract, and how to compare the same app across frameworks.

Try thisImplement the backend spec in your own stack (for example Express + MongoDB or Django REST Framework), run the shared E2E suite against it, then plug in an existing React or Vue RealWorld frontend.

Check firstMIT licence, about 84,000 stars, last push 2026-11-02. The repo moved from gothinkster/realworld to the realworld-apps organisation (the old URL redirects) and recently picked up new maintainers. Implementations vary in quality and age.

Node.js LTS 24, Express, MongoDB/Mongoose, Bootstrap 5.3, server-rendered views

WhatA long-running Node.js/Express boilerplate with MongoDB (Mongoose), local and OAuth sign-in, dozens of third-party API example pages, Bootstrap 5 views, tests and ESLint.

LearnA large, conventional Express codebase: routing, controllers, Mongoose models, Passport-style auth flows, config and test layout.

Try thisAdd a new API-integration page that calls a free public API, saves results in a Mongoose model, and add role-based access plus supertest coverage for the new route.

Check firstMIT licence, about 35,000 stars, last push 2026-11-02. Server-rendered, not a React app. Many integrations need third-party API keys (free tiers mostly).

TypeScript, Prisma ORM, Next.js, Express, Fastify, GraphQL; SQLite or Postgres depending on the example

WhatDozens of ready-to-run example apps from the Prisma team, grouped by ORM framework: Next.js (with Auth.js, Better Auth, Clerk, AI SDK), Express, Fastify, Hapi, gRPC and many GraphQL setups, plus database and deployment-platform examples.

LearnHow to model data in Prisma, run migrations, and wire the same database layer into different frameworks and auth providers.

Try thisTake orm/express, swap SQLite for a free hosted Postgres, add a Comment model with a relation and an endpoint, then put a Next.js client in front of it.

Check firstApache-2.0 licence, about 6,700 stars, last push 2026-11-03. Vendor-run examples that showcase Prisma, and several need a hosted database or provider account. 2 open issues but 56 open PRs. Very active (51 commits in the last 90 days).

Django 5, React, TypeScript, Tailwind, Webpack, Celery, PostgreSQL, Redis, Poetry/pnpm

WhatA Django project template pairing Django with React and TypeScript, Tailwind, Webpack, Celery, PostgreSQL and Redis, with Docker, GitHub Actions, an OpenAPI-generated TypeScript client and a Render.com deployment file.

LearnHow a production-minded Django plus React project is wired: typed API client generation, background workers, CI, linting and environment config.

Try thisAdd a Notes feature: Django model, API endpoint, generated TypeScript client call and a React page, with Jest and Django tests for it.

Check firstMIT licence, about 2,300 stars, last push 2026-05-04. It is a boilerplate, not a finished app, so there is little domain logic to read. Last commit 2026-05-04 and none in the last 90 days.

Docker Compose with React, Express, Spring/Java, Django, FastAPI, Flask, MongoDB, MySQL, Redis

WhatDocker's official collection of Compose samples for multi-service stacks, including react-express-mongodb, react-express-mysql, react-java-mysql (React with Java and MySQL), django, fastapi, flask with Redis or Mongo, angular and nginx combinations.

LearnHow front end, API and database containers are wired together, networks and volumes, and environment configuration.

Try thisStart from react-express-mongodb or react-java-mysql, add a new CRUD entity, persist data with a volume, then add an Nginx reverse proxy and health checks.

Check firstCC0-1.0 licence, about 47,000 stars, last push 2026-10-26. Minimal 'hello world' apps, not product-grade projects; some samples lag behind the newest framework versions. Last commit 2026-06-15, mostly CI hardening; 109 open issues and 330 open PRs.

MongoDB Atlas, Express, React (Vite), Node.js

WhatAn employee-records CRUD app by MongoDB's developer team: a React (Vite) client calling an Express API that stores data in MongoDB Atlas, with CI.

LearnThe classic MERN request path (React form to Express route to MongoDB driver), environment configuration and a clean client/server folder split.

Try thisAdd user login with JWT and a users collection, restrict write endpoints to logged-in users, then add search and pagination to the records list.

Check firstApache-2.0 licence, about 408 stars, last push 2026-09-12. Needs a free MongoDB Atlas cluster (the README links one) or another reachable Mongo URI. The README is the companion to MongoDB's own tutorial.

React 19, Tailwind CSS, Node.js/Express, MongoDB Atlas, Firebase Auth, Razorpay, Gemini API, Docker Compose

WhatA MERN fitness and nutrition e-commerce app with an admin panel, product catalogue, cart and Razorpay payments, Firebase auth, a Gemini-powered feature, database seed scripts, Jest tests on the server and a docker-compose file.

LearnA full e-commerce flow end to end: auth, cart and orders, payment gateway integration (Razorpay, widely used in India), admin CRUD, validation and seeding.

Try thisAdd an order-history page with Razorpay webhook signature verification and an order-status email, then add a Hindi language toggle to the UI.

Check firstMIT licence, about 383 stars, last push 2026-11-04. Needs a Firebase project, a MongoDB URI and Razorpay test keys (use test mode only; never commit keys); Gemini features need a key.

MongoDB, Express, React with Redux, Node.js, TypeScript, Docker Compose, SendGrid, Playwright

WhatA MERN authentication boilerplate: sign-up with email verification, password reset, server-side sessions, Redux on the frontend, TypeScript, Docker for dev and production, and a Playwright e2e folder.

LearnHow sessions, email verification and password reset are really wired in a MERN app, and how to containerise the whole stack.

Try thisAdd role-based access (user vs admin), a Google sign-in option, and rate limiting on the login and reset endpoints, with Playwright tests for each.

Check firstMIT licence, about 505 stars, last push 2026-09-05. Needs a SendGrid key to send the verification emails; check SendGrid's current free tier before you start.

Django 6.x (requirements.txt pins 6.1.1), Python 3, SQLite (tutorial default) or PostgreSQL via dj-database-url

WhatThe finished LocalLibrary Django app from MDN's Django tutorial: models for books, authors and loans, views, templates, forms, user authentication with permissions, tests, and a Procfile for deployment.

LearnThe standard Django MVT pattern end to end, generic class-based views, forms, permissions and writing tests, with the MDN tutorial as the written guide.

Try thisExpose the catalogue through Django REST Framework, build a React frontend for it, and add book reservations with due dates and email reminders.

Check firstCC0-1.0 licence, about 1,700 stars, last push 2026-10-26. Best used with the MDN tutorial open. The Procfile and runtime.txt target Heroku-style hosts; free hosting options change often, so check current plans before relying on one.

Python 3, Django, PostgreSQL, Docker Compose, front-end asset tooling, Sphinx docs builds

WhatThe source of the Django project's own websites: a multi-app Django codebase (blog, aggregator, dashboard, fundraising, members, releases, accounts, docs tooling) run in production by the Django Software Foundation.

LearnHow a real, long-lived Django site is organised: settings split, many apps, management commands, tests, translations (locale/), and contribution workflow.

Try thisPick a small open issue or an accessibility fix, write a failing test first, fix it, and open a pull request following the repo's contributing rules.

Check firstBSD-3-Clause licence, about 2,000 stars, last push 2026-11-03. Needs PostgreSQL and some data setup; not a beginner starting point. 121 open issues and 93 open PRs; very active.

Python 3, Django, Wagtail CMS, SQLite by default, Docker option, Node tooling for front-end assets

WhatThe official Wagtail CMS demo site (a fictional bakery) showing page models, StreamField content blocks, image handling, search, snippets and forms on top of Django.

LearnContent-modelling with a CMS, reusable StreamField blocks, templates and how Wagtail extends Django's admin.

Try thisAdd a new page type (for example an Events page with date and location fields), expose it through the Wagtail API, and write tests for its listing view.

Check firstBSD-3-Clause licence, about 1,100 stars, last push 2026-11-04. CMS-specific knowledge, not generic Django. 37 open issues; very active (100 commits in 12 months).

Next.js (App Router), TypeScript, Prisma, PostgreSQL, NextAuth, Tailwind CSS, Vitest, pnpm, Docker

WhatA fitness coaching platform with an exercise database, workout plans and progress tracking built on Next.js with Prisma, NextAuth, Tailwind, Vitest and Docker, with translations in several languages.

LearnA modern Next.js codebase with auth, database models, i18n and tests in a real product, with a Makefile and Docker for repeatable setup.

Try thisAdd a Hindi locale (the repo ships en, es, fr, pt, ru and zh-CN), then add a workout-streak feature: Prisma model, API route and a dashboard widget with Vitest tests.

Check firstMIT licence, about 8,700 stars, last push 2026-11-02. Needs PostgreSQL and several env vars; fast-moving (65 commits in 12 months, 2 in the last 90 days). 44 open issues, 40 open PRs.

FastAPI, Next.js 15, PostgreSQL, Alembic, Docker, Celery, Pydantic AI / LangChain / LangGraph options

WhatA project generator (pip install fastapi-fullstack, with a wizard) that scaffolds a FastAPI backend and Next.js 15 frontend with JWT/OAuth auth, PostgreSQL and Alembic, a WebSocket streaming chat UI, Celery, Docker and optional AI agent frameworks.

LearnHow to structure a FastAPI plus Next.js app with auth and real-time chat, and how agent code plugs into a web backend.

Try thisGenerate a project with auth and chat, add a conversation-title feature or a new agent tool, then swap the LLM provider via configuration.

Check firstMIT licence, about 2,000 stars, last push 2026-10-31. Generator output rather than a single readable app, from a company that also promotes its other products in the README.

Python (FastAPI, Alembic migrations), TypeScript/JavaScript frontend monorepo (clients/), PostgreSQL, Redis

WhatPolar, a production billing and payments platform: a FastAPI REST API and background workers (server/), JavaScript/TypeScript frontends in a pnpm and Turborepo monorepo (clients/apps/web and others), PostgreSQL with Alembic migrations, Redis.

LearnWhat a real FastAPI plus Next.js product looks like at scale: module layout, migrations, workers, webhooks, testing and infrastructure as code.

Try thisTrace one API endpoint from router to database and migration, then add a small field with its Alembic migration and a pytest for it.

Check firstApache-2.0 licence, about 10,000 stars, last push 2026-11-04. Large and complex; running it locally needs Postgres, Redis, S3-compatible storage and Stripe test credentials. 71 open issues.

Java (and Kotlin), Spring Boot, Maven/Gradle

WhatThe official Spring 'Building a RESTful Web Service' getting-started guide, with initial and complete projects in Java and Kotlin plus tests; one of the spring-guides gs-* repos.

LearnThe shortest official path to a working Spring Boot REST endpoint, then the pattern for the other gs-* guides (data access, security, testing).

Try thisExtend the greeting service with POST and validation, add persistence using Spring Data JPA (see gs-accessing-data-jpa), then call it from a small React or HTML front end.

Check firstApache-2.0 licence, about 1,500 stars, last push 2026-11-01. Tiny by design: no frontend and no auth. Many sibling guide repos exist; this one is a starting point only. 3 open issues; last commit 2026-11-01.

Spring Boot 4 (Spring 7), Java 25, Angular, MySQL (Testcontainers), Maven wrapper, Docker

WhatA REST API with Spring Boot and an Angular frontend by Loiane Groner: CRUD with validation, Java records as DTOs, integration tests using Testcontainers with a real MySQL, and Docker.

LearnLayered Spring Boot design, bean validation, DTO mapping, testing against real databases, and pairing an API with a typed Angular client.

Try thisAdd JWT login with Spring Security and a login page in Angular, then swap MySQL for PostgreSQL in the Testcontainers setup.

Check firstMIT licence, about 265 stars, last push 2026-11-02. Frontend is Angular, not React. Requires a very recent JDK (Java 25) so students may need to install one. Small repo (265 stars); 0 open issues, 8 open PRs. Very recent commits (2026-10-30).

Java 17, Spring Boot 3.5.x, Spring Security, JPA, H2/MySQL, Maven wrapper, Docker

WhatA JWT authentication service on Spring Boot and Spring Security with short-lived access tokens and rotating, revocable refresh tokens, an H2 dev profile and a MySQL option, plus a Dockerfile.

LearnHow token-based auth works in Spring Security: filters, token provider, refresh-token rotation and role checks.

Try thisAdd role-based endpoints and a password-reset email flow, then build a React login page against the API.

Check firstMIT licence, about 1,700 stars, last push 2026-10-14. Backend only; no frontend. Recent commits are mostly dependency-bot updates (13 in 12 months, last 2026-10-06) plus README work. 0 open issues.

Java (Spring Boot 4, Java 25), Next.js storefront and backoffice, Keycloak, Kafka, PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch, Docker

WhatYAS (Yet Another Shop): a sample e-commerce platform built as Spring Boot microservices (product, cart, order, inventory, payment, search, recommendation and more) with Next.js storefront and backoffice, Keycloak, Kafka, PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch.

LearnMicroservice architecture in practice: service boundaries, API gateway/BFF pattern, identity with Keycloak, messaging with Kafka and observability.

Try thisAdd a Wishlist service following an existing module (database, REST API, storefront page) and add integration tests.

Check firstMIT licence, about 2,000 stars, last push 2026-06-12. README says the full stack needs 16 GB RAM (core services only otherwise). Large and complex.