How this project works
Campus Commons is the Flask remake of Westloop: a neighborhood social network with accounts, profiles, follows, likes, comments, a following timeline, search, notices, and a real Ubuntu VPS deploy. Each numbered folder in fcc-flask-social is a working snapshot.
The stack, and why these tools
| Job | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Language / framework | Python, Flask | Flask stays small. Blueprints replace Django apps: accounts, posts, social. PostgreSQL via SQLAlchemy — SQLite is only for part 1. |
| Database | PostgreSQL | Follows, likes, and comments need foreign keys and unique pairs. SQLite is only for the first laptop boot. |
| CSS | Tailwind CSS | Feeds, avatars, and a sticky nav are layout-heavy. Utilities stay in the templates you already edit. |
| JavaScript | HTMX + Alpine.js | Jinja + HTMX is the same idea as Westloop. Alpine for the menu. |
| Authentication | Flask-Login + werkzeug password hashes | Flask-Login and Werkzeug hashes. CSRF from Flask-WTF on every write, including HTMX. |
| Process / proxy | Gunicorn, Nginx, Let’s Encrypt | Same VPS shape as Westloop: one app process, Postgres on localhost, Nginx for TLS and static/media files. |
| Hosting / DNS | Hetzner Cloud CX22 (or Contabo / DigitalOcean), Cloudflare Registrar + DNS | You own the box. PaaS is easier and teaches less. |
| Console locally, Postmark in production | Password reset must leave the laptop. |
If you already finished the Flask blog, keep going — this project adds a social graph and a VPS ship, not another CRUD journal.
Parts in order
Work through the parts in sequence. Each lesson explains the ideas, then points you to a runnable GitHub snapshot.