A full-stack application that teaches Tagalog and Filipino culture
- Live site: Easy Tagalog
- Frontend repo: Frontend Repo
As a Filipino American that wasn't raised speaking Tagalog, I have always wanted to learn. I've used a couple apps to learn Tagalog but found myself not really learning the language and grammar but rather just learning vocabulary and simple phrases. My family uses Duolingo which is an app I love but they sadly do not offer Tagalog. I started my Tagalog journey and thought why not combine my passion for software development and language learning into a project that teaches. This is where Easy Tagalog was born. I wanted an app that I could even use after its in deployment and that I can even learn Tagalog while in development. With the rise of AI, why not leverage it into my Tagalog learning as well and for all others.
In early development, it actually started off as a MERN stack since that was what I was most comfortable with. However, I knew if this was an app I wanted used by thousands of users, I needed something more robust. I switched from a MERN stack to a type backend like Java Spring Boot and an optimized frontend framework like Next.js. I also decided to switch from a NoSQL database like MongoDB to PostgreSQL to have better relationships between all my objects (words, phrases, lessons). Although the switch led to a longer development time, I have learned a lot and enjoyed the process.
- Backend: Spring Boot, Java, JPA, Hibernate
- Deployment: Render, Docker
- Database: PostgreSQL, Supabase, AWS
- ✅ Fully responsive design (mobile-first)
- ✅ Lesson based learning
- ✅ Dictionary word lookups
- ✅ Phrase examples
- ✅ Grammar breakdowns (soon to be powered by AI)
- ✅ SEO-optimized meta tags and site structure
- Dockerizing the backend to deploy on Render
- Integrating AWS and OpenAI into the backend
- Determining trade-offs like switching from Express.js to Spring Boot (dynamic vs strict typing, performance)
- Leveraging Supabase for user authentication
- Incorporating OpenAI's API into breaking down grammar in phraases
- Notes section for users to take during lessons
- Leaderboard of all users
Keanu Aloua — Full-stack engineer with a passion for building mission-driven software. Connect with me on LinkedIn or check out my Portfolio.