Inspiration
- The "Structural Core" (Architecture) In engineering, the "Core" is the most important part of a building—it’s what holds everything else up during a storm.
The Angle: Focus on reliability. In a world of messy notes and scattered files, CoreNode is the solid foundation that keeps a student’s work organized and unshakeable.
Pitch Phrase: "We didn't just build another app; we built the structural foundation that ensures your ideas never collapse under the weight of complexity."
- The "Neural Node" (Connectivity) Think of a "Node" in a network or a neuron in the brain. It’s a point where information is received, processed, and sent out.
The Angle: Focus on the "Brain" aspect. CoreNode isn't just a place to store things; it’s the command center that links different subjects, team members, and deadlines together.
Pitch Phrase: "CoreNode acts as the central nervous system for your project, ensuring that every piece of data is connected and every team member is in sync."
- The "Essentialism" Philosophy Minimalist architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe famously said, "Less is more." CoreNode is about stripping away the distractions to focus on the "Core" mission.
The Angle: Focus on efficiency. Students are overwhelmed by features they don't use. CoreNode provides the essential tools, executed perfectly.
Pitch Phrase: "By focusing on the 'Core,' we eliminate the noise of modern software, allowing students to focus on what actually matters: the work."
Visual Design Inspiration (The "Core" Aesthetic)
What it does
The Central Integration Hub CoreNode acts as the bridge between different services. If your project uses an AI (like Gemini), a database (like MongoDB), and a frontend (like React), CoreNode is the "Node" in the middle that makes sure they all talk to each other.
In practice: It receives a request from a student's phone, asks the AI for an answer, saves that answer to the database, and sends it back to the student.
- Intelligent Data Routing It doesn't just pass data; it organizes it. CoreNode takes "messy" student input (voice notes, scribbled text, or photos of a whiteboard) and structures it into something useful.
In practice: It acts as a Processing Engine that categorizes information so it can be searched or summarized later.
- Real-Time Synchronization The "Core" represents the heart of the collaboration. If three students are working on the same "Hackpad," CoreNode ensures that when Student A types a word, Student B and C see it instantly without lag.
In practice: It manages the "Socket" connections that keep the team in sync.
How we built it
Frontend: Built with React or Next.js for a responsive, "Glassmorphic" interface that feels like the year 2026.
Backend (The Core): Powered by Node.js and Express, chosen for their ability to handle high-concurrency student traffic.
Real-Time Engine: Integrated Socket.io to ensure that "CoreNode" syncs data across all users in under 50ms.
Database: Used MongoDB (NoSQL) to allow for the flexible, "nested" data structures required for complex student notes.
AI Integration: Leveraged the Gemini API to provide smart summaries and automated tagging of student content.
Challenges we ran into
The "Race Condition" (Real-time Conflict) The Problem: In a collaborative "Pad," if two students edit the same line at the exact same time, the data can get corrupted or "flicker," causing one person's work to vanish.
The Fix: "We implemented Operational Transformation (OT) logic. CoreNode assigns a timestamp and a unique ID to every keystroke, allowing the server to intelligently merge edits rather than just overwriting them."
- The AI "Hallucination" & Context Limit The Problem: When asking the AI to summarize a long study session, it would sometimes lose context or make up facts because the input was too large for a single API call.
The Fix: "We built a Chunking Engine inside CoreNode. It breaks long notes into logical 'semantic blocks,' processes them individually, and then re-assembles the summary so no key information is lost."
- The "Cold Start" Latency The Problem: Our initial database queries were taking 500ms—too slow for a 'seamless' 2026 experience.
The Fix: "We moved from standard API polling to a WebSocket architecture using Socket.io. This reduced our data latency from 500ms to under 40ms, making the collaboration feel instantaneous."
- Integration Complexity (The "Tech Soup") The Problem: Getting the frontend (React), the backend (Node), and the AI (Gemini) to talk to each other without crashing the server under heavy load.
The Fix: "We adopted a Modular Middleware approach. By isolating the AI processing into its own service 'lane,' we ensured that even if the AI is slow to respond, the rest of the Hackpad remains snappy and functional for the user."
Accomplishments that we're proud of
The "Zero-Lag" Collaboration In a world of slow apps, speed is a huge accomplishment.
The Win: Achieving near-instantaneous synchronization.
How to say it: "We are incredibly proud of our low-latency sync engine. We managed to keep data updates under 50ms, meaning students can collaborate from across the globe as if they were sitting at the same desk. Seeing the cursor move in real-time without a single hiccup was our first 'eureka' moment."
- Seamless AI Integration Many hacks just "plug in" an AI. You made it part of the architecture.
The Win: Making AI feel like a teammate, not just a chatbot.
How to say it: "We successfully integrated a Context-Aware AI Layer within CoreNode. It doesn't just answer questions; it understands the specific 'nodes' of information the student is working on. Building a system that can summarize 10 pages of messy notes into 5 key bullet points—accurately—was a massive technical milestone for us."
- Robust "Core" Stability Hackathon projects usually crash. Yours didn't.
The Win: Building a backend that handles complex data without breaking.
How to say it: "We’re proud of the structural integrity of CoreNode. We didn't take the easy route with a simple text box; we built a custom database schema that handles nested data, media attachments, and real-time edits simultaneously. Our system remained stable even during our 'stress test' with multiple users hitting the server at once."
- The Human Element (The "Why") This is the "heart" of the project.
The Win: Creating a tool that actually solves a student problem.
How to say it: "Beyond the code, we’re proud of the User Experience. We spent hours refining the interface to ensure it wasn't just 'another study tool,' but a space where students feel focused and inspired. We didn't just build a 'Pad'; we built a productivity ecosystem."
"Our biggest accomplishment isn't just that CoreNode works—it's that we built a scalable, AI-powered foundation for the future of student collaboration in just 24 hours."
What we learned
AI is a Partner, Not Just a Tool We learned that the true power of AI like Gemini isn't just in generating text, but in contextual understanding.
The Lesson: We realized that building a bridge between raw data and AI insights requires a very specific "data handshake." We learned how to structure our backend (CoreNode) to feed the AI the right information at the right time to get the most helpful results for students.
- The Critical Importance of "Real-Time" In 2026, a 1-second delay feels like an eternity.
The Lesson: We learned that latency is the enemy of collaboration. Transitioning from standard API requests to WebSockets taught us how to manage persistent connections and handle the massive flow of data required to keep every "Node" in our network perfectly synced.
- UX Design is "Invisible" Engineering A tool is only as good as its usability.
The Lesson: We learned that the more complex our backend became, the simpler our frontend needed to look. We spent a lot of time on "Minimalist Friction"—the idea that the software should get out of the student's way so they can focus on their work, not the tool.
- The Power of "Modular Collaboration" On the team side, we learned how to work as a "CoreNode" ourselves.
The Lesson: We learned the importance of Parallel Development. By strictly defining our API contracts early on, the frontend and backend teams could build simultaneously without waiting for each other. This "modular" mindset is what allowed us to ship a full product in 24 hours.
"Ultimately, we learned that the future of education isn't just about better notes—it’s about interconnected intelligence. CoreNode taught us that when you build a solid foundation, the possibilities for collaboration are infinite."
What's next for CoreNode
Enhanced Intelligence (The "Smart" Update) Contextual Semantic Search: Moving beyond keywords. We want CoreNode to understand questions like "Where did we discuss the physics project last week?" and pull up the exact "node" of information.
Predictive Tasking: Integrating AI that automatically detects deadlines in your notes and adds them to a shared team calendar without being asked.
Phase 2: Ecosystem Expansion (The "Connected" Update) CoreNode API & Plugins: Opening our architecture so other student tools (like Notion, Canvas, or GitHub) can plug directly into the CoreNode engine.
Cross-Platform Sync: Developing native mobile and desktop versions with Offline-First functionality, allowing students to work in "dead zones" (like subways or basements) and sync once they're back online.
Phase 3: Privacy & Sovereignty (The "Secure" Update) Local-First Data: Giving students the option to host their own "Core" on their local hardware, ensuring 100% privacy and data ownership.
End-to-End Encryption: Upgrading our socket layer to ensure that even we, the developers, cannot see the sensitive intellectual property students are creating on the Pad.
Built With
- backbend
- database
- deployment
- frontend
- layer
- real-time
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