How this project works
Solstice Commons is the Phoenix 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-phoenix-social is a working snapshot.
The stack, and why these tools
| Job | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Language / framework | Elixir, Phoenix + LiveView | LiveView is the best fit in this catalog for a social UI: likes and follows update in place over the socket without inventing an API. Ecto changesets keep the graph honest. |
| 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 | LiveView (no HTMX required) | LiveView replaces HTMX here. Alpine is optional. Do not add a React layer. |
| Authentication | Phoenix session cookies + bcrypt | phx.gen.auth or a hand-rolled session. bcrypt_elixir hashes passwords. |
| Process / proxy | Elixir release + systemd, 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 Phoenix 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.