Assassin App

This web application powers a live-action "Assassin" game for students. It tracks players, assigns targets, handles eliminations, and maintains a leaderboard — all via a secure React + TypeScript frontend and a serverless backend deployed on Vercel.

Tech Stack

• Frontend: React (TypeScript)
• Backend/API: Serverless functions (/api) deployed with Vercel
• Authentication: Descope SDK
• UI Components: Material UI + Emotion
• Deployment: Vercel (see vercel.json)
• Package Management: npm

Getting Started

1. Clone & Install

git clone https://github.com/your-org/assassin-app.git
cd assassin-app
npm install

2. Set Up Environment

Create a .env file in the root directory with your Descope project info:

REACT_APP_DESCOPE_PROJECT_ID=your_project_id

You may also need to configure additional env variables depending on deployment setup (e.g., Vercel project settings).

3. Run Locally

npm start

This launches the app on http://localhost:3000.

Project Structure

assassin-app/
├── api/                   # Serverless functions (Vercel backend)
│   ├── getLeaderBoard.ts
│   ├── registerKill.ts
│   └── ...
├── public/                # Static files
├── src/                   # Frontend React components (if applicable)
├── .gitignore
├── package.json
├── tsconfig*.json
├── vercel.json            # Vercel routing config
└── README.md

Authentication

This project uses Descope for passwordless login. Authentication is already integrated via the @descope/react-sdk.

New players sign in using their school email and are matched with a unique target.

Key API Routes

All API endpoints are located in the api/ folder and deployed as serverless functions.

Endpoint	Description
getLeaderBoard.ts	Returns current leaderboard
getStudentList.ts	Lists all registered players
randomizeTargets.ts	Assigns each player a target
registerKill.ts	Logs a kill + updates targets
registerDeath.ts	Marks player as eliminated
updateStudentStatus.ts	Manual status override

Testing & Debugging

Currently no formal tests are implemented. For manual testing:

• Use Postman or a browser to hit api/ routes
• Console logs in Vercel can be viewed for backend debugging

Deployment

This app is configured for Vercel:

• All serverless routes are under /api/
• Static frontend served from the root

To redeploy:

1. Push to main or your configured Vercel branch
2. Vercel auto-builds and deploys
3. Monitor logs on Vercel dashboard