CodePals.io

A respectful, values-driven developer growth network.

Foster meaningful mentorship, coaching, and community connections—grounded in transparency, security, privacy, and shared values.

🌐 Live: codepals.io | dev.codepals.io

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🚀 Quick Links

Project Governance

• Constitution - Core principles, mission, vision, and governance framework (v1.3.0)
• Code of Conduct - Community standards and expected behavior
• Governance - Organizational structure and decision-making process
• Security Policy - Security reporting and vulnerability disclosure
• Privacy Policy - Data collection, usage, and user rights

Product & Planning

• MVP Specification - Complete feature specification for Phase 1-4 (landing page, core platform, community engagement, analytics)
• Implementation Plan - Detailed 10-week implementation roadmap with architecture, data model, and quality gates
• Brand Identity & Logo Concepts - 5 logo concepts, color palette (Teal + Gold), typography, Discord branding

Development Documentation

• Implementation Plan Template - Framework for technical planning and Constitution compliance
• Task Breakdown Template - User story decomposition with independent testability
• Specification Template - Feature specification format
• Checklist Template - Validation and gating checklist

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📋 Documentation Structure

codepalsio/
├── README.md (this file)
├── CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
├── GOVERNANCE.md
├── PRIVACY.md
├── SECURITY.md
├── .specify/
│   ├── memory/
│   │   ├── constitution.md                   # Project constitution & principles (v1.3.0)
│   │   ├── branding-logo-concepts.md        # Logo concepts, color palette, brand identity
│   │   ├── branding/
│   │   │   └── assets/                      # Generated logo images (PNG, JPG)
│   │   └── [other docs]
│   ├── spec/
│   │   └── codepals-mvp.md                  # MVP specification (Phases 1-4)
│   ├── plan/
│   │   └── codepals-mvp.md                  # Implementation plan (10 weeks)
│   └── templates/
│       ├── spec-template.md                 # Feature spec template
│       ├── plan-template.md                 # Implementation plan template
│       ├── tasks-template.md                # Task breakdown template
│       └── checklist-template.md            # Validation checklist template

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🎯 Project Overview

Mission

Foster a respectful, values-driven developer growth network where people learn by building relationships, receiving mentorship and coaching, and sharing their development journey—grounded in transparency, security, privacy, and community support. CodePals.io enables context-rich help requests and meaningful connections rather than transactional Q&A.

Vision

A trusted global developer community where people support people—creating opportunities for those who need them most, fostering genuine connections, and using technology and mentorship as means to improve lives and enable better futures.

Core Principles (v1.3.0)

1. Open Source & Transparency (NON-NEGOTIABLE) - All code, docs, and decisions publicly accessible
2. Code Quality - Clean, maintainable code with mandatory peer review
3. Security (NON-NEGOTIABLE) - Industry best practices, input validation, least privilege
4. Performance - Efficient, responsive systems with monitoring
5. Privacy (NON-NEGOTIABLE) - Minimal data collection, transparent usage, policy compliance
6. Community & Governance - Respectful collaboration, inclusive contribution pathways
7. Brand Consistency (NON-NEGOTIABLE) - Unified visual identity across all platforms
8. Internationalization & Accessibility (NON-NEGOTIABLE) - Multi-language support, WCAG 2.1 AA compliance

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📦 MVP Roadmap (Phased Delivery)

Phase 1: Foundation & Landing (Weeks 1-2)

• Deploy infrastructure & CI/CD pipeline
• Create landing page with brand identity
• Setup admin dashboard & moderation tools

Phase 2: Core Platform Features (Weeks 3-5)

• User registration & profile creation
• Profile browse & discovery
• Connection invites & management

Phase 3: Community Engagement (Weeks 6-8)

• Community events system
• Help board & calls-to-action
• Karma system & recognition badges

Phase 4: Transparency & Analytics (Weeks 9-10)

• Public KPI dashboard & transparency metrics

See MVP Spec for detailed user stories, requirements, and success criteria.

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💻 Technology Stack

Frontend

• Framework: Astro 5.15+ with TypeScript
• Styling: Tailwind CSS 3.3+
• Components: Astro components (.astro files)
• Build: Static site generation (SSG)

Infrastructure & Deployment

• Hosting: Azure Static Web Apps (Free tier)
• IaC: PowerShell + Bicep templates
• DNS: Azure DNS Zones (dev.codepals.io, codepals.io)
• CI/CD: GitHub Actions + PowerShell modules (in progress)
• Environments:
  • Production: https://codepals.io
  • Development: https://dev.codepals.io

Planned (Phase 2+)

• Backend: Node.js serverless (Azure Functions)
• Database: Cosmos DB (free tier, 400 RU/s)
• Auth: GitHub OAuth
• Email: SendGrid (100 emails/day free tier)
• Monitoring: Azure Application Insights
• Testing: Vitest (unit), Playwright (E2E)

Development Tools

• Linting: ESLint with Astro plugin
• Formatting: Prettier with Astro plugin
• Security: Snyk for dependency scanning
• Package Manager: npm

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🧑‍💻 Current Status

✅ Completed (Phase 1 - Week 2)

• Landing Page: Live at codepals.io and dev.codepals.io
  • Hero section with animated background
  • Features showcase
  • How It Works section
  • Call-to-Action components
  • Footer with Discord integration
• Brand Implementation: Logo, colors (Teal #00BCD4 + Gold #FFB700), typography
• Policy Pages: Code of Conduct, Privacy Policy, Terms of Service (pages + modals)
• Responsive Design: Mobile-first with animations
• Infrastructure: PowerShell + Bicep provisioning (dev + prod)
• DNS Configuration: Custom domains configured and live

⏳ In Progress (Phase 1 - Week 1)

• CI/CD Pipeline: GitHub Actions workflow (PR #11)
• Infrastructure Automation: Full automation via PowerShell modules (PR #11)
• TypeScript Migration: Convert components to strict TypeScript (planned)

📋 Planned

• Phase 2: User profiles, GitHub OAuth, profile discovery (Weeks 3-5)
• Phase 3: Community events, help board, Karma system (Weeks 6-8)
• Phase 4: Public metrics dashboard (Weeks 9-10)

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🌍 Internationalization (i18n)

CodePals.io is architected for global accessibility from the outset.

Supported Locales (MVP)

• 🇵🇹 Portuguese (Portugal) - pt-PT
• 🇮🇪 English (Ireland) - en-IE
• 🇫🇷 French (France) - fr-FR

Future Expansion (Community-Driven)

• 🇪🇸 Spanish (Spain) - es-ES (potential)
• RTL language support (e.g., Arabic, Hebrew)

See MVP Spec - Internationalization Requirements (FR-1.21-1.36) for architecture details.

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🎨 Brand & Design

Brand Identity (Complete)

• Logo: 5 concepts generated via GitHub Copilot + FLUX.1-dev; Concept 1 (Connected Hands & Code) SELECTED ⭐
  • Primary: CodePals01.png (1008KB) | concept1.jpg (1020KB)
  • Concepts 2-5: Available in .specify/memory/branding/assets/
  • See Brand Identity & Logo Concepts for full evaluation and rationale
• Color Palette: WCAG 2.1 AA compliant (Primary: Teal #00BCD4, Gold #FFB700; Accents: Coral, Green)
• Typography: Clean, modern fonts for web and print
• Design System: Reusable components (buttons, cards, forms, modals)
• Generated by: GitHub Copilot using FLUX.1-dev image generation model
• Attribution: All logo concepts and images created by GitHub Copilot

Logo Concepts Overview

Concept	Status	Description	Files
01: Connected Hands & Code	⭐ SELECTED	Two stylized hands with code bracket, teal + gold	CodePals01.png, concept1.jpg
02: Pen Meets Code	Archive	Calligraphy pen transitioning to code bracket	CodePals02.png, Concept2.jpg
03: Globe with Code Lattice	Archive	Golden lattice network forming globe	Codepals03.png, concept03.jpg
04: Ascending Stairs & Connection	Future	Upward progression with support arcs	Codepals04.png, concept04.jpg
05: Stylized "C" + Connection Node	Future	Iconic C with glowing connection	Codepals05.png, concept05.jpg
00: Alternative Palette	Reference	Different color direction (archived)	CodePals00.png

All logo assets: .specify/memory/branding/assets/ (11MB total, 13 files)

Discord Server

• Community hub with structured channels
• Mentorship matching & support
• Event announcements & discussions
• Branded with Concept 1 logo and color palette (teal + gold)

Social Media Strategy

• LinkedIn: Professional network & thought leadership
• Twitter/X: Announcements & community updates
• Instagram: Visual storytelling & member highlights
• All platforms use Concept 1 logo and Teal + Gold palette

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See Brand Identity & Logo Concepts for detailed vision, brand personality, color specifications, and full evaluation of all 5 concepts.

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🛠️ Technology Stack

Frontend & Static Site

• Static Site Generation: Statiq
• Hosting: Azure Static Web Apps

Backend & API

• Runtime: Node.js (serverless)
• Database: Cosmos DB (Azure, free tier)

Infrastructure

• CI/CD: GitHub Actions
• Monitoring: Azure Application Insights
• Email: SendGrid API
• Authentication: GitHub OAuth

Development

• Specification-Driven Development: Spec-Kit
• Linting & Formatting: Standard tools
• Testing: Per-feature coverage requirements
• Security: Secret scanning, OWASP compliance

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📖 How to Read This Documentation

For First-Time Visitors:

1. Start with this README for overview
2. Read Constitution for principles & mission
3. Review MVP Spec for what's being built

For Contributors:

1. Review Code of Conduct and GOVERNANCE
2. Check Constitution - Definition of Done
3. Review Security Policy for vulnerability reporting
4. See templates in .specify/templates/ for contribution workflow

For Designers:

1. Review Brand Identity & Logo Concepts for all 5 concepts, color palette (Teal #00BCD4, Gold #FFB700), typography
2. View generated logo assets in .specify/memory/branding/assets/ (Concept 1 selected for production)
3. Check MVP Spec - Brand Requirements (FR-1.6-1.10) for implementation details

For Product Managers:

1. Read MVP Spec for complete feature breakdown
2. Review Constitution - Non-Negotiables
3. Check Governance Metrics

For DevOps/Infrastructure:

1. Review Technology Stack section above
2. Check MVP Spec - Infrastructure Requirements (FR-1.1-1.39)
3. See Security Policy

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🤝 Contributing

CodePals.io welcomes contributions aligned with our mission and principles.

Next Steps for Contributors:

1. Fork and clone the repository
2. Review Code of Conduct
3. Check GOVERNANCE for decision-making process
4. See Constitution Definition of Done

Translation Contributions:

• Community translations are welcome!
• See MVP Spec - Translation Workflow (FR-1.31)
• Contributing guide for translations (coming soon)

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📊 Transparency & Community

Public Metrics

• Signup trends & active user counts
• Mentor/mentee ratio
• Community engagement metrics
• Platform costs & sustainability status
• Code of Conduct enforcement (removals, blocks)

See MVP Spec - Phase 4 for public dashboard spec.

Roadmap & Updates

• Follow Governance for how decisions are made
• Check Constitution for project governance
• Review GitHub Issues & Discussions

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📞 Get in Touch

• Discord: Join our community
• GitHub Issues: Ask questions or report issues
• GitHub Discussions: Community conversations

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📜 License & Legal

• Code: [License TBD - typically open source like MIT or Apache 2.0]
• Privacy Policy: See PRIVACY.md
• Security Policy: See SECURITY.md
• Code of Conduct: See CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025
Constitution Version: 1.3.0
MVP Spec Status: Draft
Implementation Plan Status: Draft
Brand Status: Complete (5 concepts generated, Concept 1 selected)
Logo Attribution: Generated by GitHub Copilot using FLUX.1-dev