Phalanx Cyber Academy
A gamified cybersecurity training platform featuring Red Team vs. Blue Team simulations, XP progression, and scenario-based learning aligned with MITRE ATT&CK techniques. Rebuilt on a FastAPI + React/TypeScript stack with Clerk-hosted authentication and Neon Postgres.
The problem
Students learning cybersecurity lacked a structured, safe environment to practice Red Team and Blue Team tactics with measurable progress, feedback, and real-world attack/defense scenarios.
Role & responsibilities
Lead developer. Directed a 4-member team across 20 weekly Iterative and Incremental SDLC cycles, owned architecture, task delegation, code reviews, REST API design, deployment, and technical documentation.
Architecture
FastAPI backend with SQLAlchemy 2 models and Alembic migrations on Neon Postgres; React 18 + TypeScript SPA (Vite, Tailwind CSS 4, shadcn/ui); Clerk-hosted sign-in verified server-side via JWT/JWKS (RS256) on every protected route; Vercel frontend with a Dockerized backend.
Key features
- Gamified challenges with XP progression and MITRE ATT&CK-aligned scenarios
- Clerk-hosted sign-in/sign-up with mandatory email verification; local profiles provisioned on first login
- Bearer-token API access — RS256 signature, issuer, and expiry checks on every request; server-side is_admin/is_active enforcement
- Admin panel with user management, security logs, and automated cleanup tooling
- Leaderboards, scenario difficulty scaling, and real-time feedback
- ISO 25010 and ISO 27001 validation by 246 students and 5 cybersecurity experts
- Five playable scenario games — The Misinformation Maze, Shadow in the Inbox, Malware Mayhem, The White Hat Test, and The Hunt for The Null — spanning beginner to advanced difficulty
Outcomes
51
FastAPI endpoints across 12 routers
246
students evaluated the platform
5
cybersecurity experts validated the system
Stack
PythonFastAPIReactTypeScriptTailwind CSSPostgreSQLNeonClerkDockerVercel