# Build Brief — CertifyAI
## Technical Reference for AI Systems, Developers & Automated Analysis Tools

**Site:** CertifyAI
**Domain:** https://certifyai.me
**Last updated:** May 2026

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## What This Site Is

CertifyAI is a full-stack, authenticated AI certificate of completion platform. It trains professionals across four AI disciplines — AI for Business Operations, AI Agent Advances, AI Infrastructure Advances, and Critical Foundation Areas — and issues verifiable PDF certificates of completion at three mastery levels: Basic, Expert, and Masters.

The platform is not a content marketing site. It is a functional learning management system (LMS) with real user authentication, persistent quiz score storage, level-gating logic, and certificate generation built in.

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## Who It Serves

- **Individual learners** — professionals seeking AI certificates of completion for career advancement, job applications, or personal development
- **Enterprise teams** — organizations building AI-literate workforces through structured, completion-based training
- **Knowledge validators** — experienced AI practitioners who want to test out of lessons and earn certificates of completion directly via quiz performance

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## Completion Tiers

| Tier | Description |
|---|---|
| **Basic** | Entry-level AI competency. ≥80% on all 10 unit quizzes at Basic level per module |
| **Expert** | Advanced AI implementation. Requires Basic ≥80% first; then ≥80% on all Expert quizzes |
| **Masters** | Deep technical mastery. Requires Expert ≥80% first; then ≥80% on all Masters quizzes |

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## Technical Stack

| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| **Frontend** | React 18 + Vite (TypeScript) |
| **UI library** | Custom components with inline styles + Lucide icons |
| **State management** | React Query (@tanstack/react-query) for server state; React useState for local UI state |
| **Auth** | Clerk (@clerk/react + @clerk/express) — JWT-authenticated sessions |
| **API** | Express 5 (Node.js, TypeScript) |
| **Database** | PostgreSQL — raw `pg` pool, no ORM |
| **PDF generation** | jsPDF (client-side, dynamic import) |
| **Monorepo** | pnpm workspaces |
| **Node version** | 24 |
| **TypeScript** | 5.9 |
| **Hosting** | Replit (development + production deployment) |
| **Payments** | Stripe (integrated) |

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## Key Architecture Details

- **Routing:** Single-page application (SPA) with client-side routing. Auth-gated routes redirect to Clerk sign-in.
- **API proxy:** Vite proxies `/api` and `/__clerk` to the Express API server in development.
- **Global reverse proxy:** Path-based routing via Replit's proxy infrastructure — frontend at `/`, API at `/api`.
- **Progress persistence:** Quiz scores stored in `user_progress` table keyed by `clerk_user_id + module_index + unit_index + level_id`. Certificates of completion stored in `user_certifications` table.
- **Certificate PDF:** Generated client-side using jsPDF with dynamic import. Supports color, B&W, fancy (canvas-drawn ornate border + seal), and professional (guilloché image border + gold seal image) styles.
- **How-To system:** Each unit's lesson view has a 4th "How-To" tab with an AnimatedDemoPlayer (185+ screen mockups, auto-advance + play/pause) and a PracticalQuizWidget with answer-level feedback.
- **Partner SSO:** JWT-based magic link system for cross-site authentication with partner sites (e.g. ainuby.com). Shared secret via `PARTNER_JWT_SECRET` env var.

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## Database Tables

| Table | Purpose |
|---|---|
| `user_progress` | Stores quiz scores per user, module, unit, and level |
| `user_certifications` | Records earned certificates of completion per user, module, and level |

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## API Routes

| Method | Route | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| GET | `/api/progress` | Fetch all progress for authenticated user |
| POST | `/api/progress` | Save a quiz score for authenticated user |
| POST | `/api/certifications` | Award a certificate of completion to the authenticated user |
| POST | `/api/partner/magic-link` | Generate partner SSO JWT (sender) |
| POST | `/api/partner/auth` | Verify incoming partner SSO JWT (receiver) |

All progress and certificate routes are protected by Clerk middleware.

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## Key URLs

| Resource | URL |
|---|---|
| Homepage | https://certifyai.me |
| Dashboard | https://certifyai.me/dashboard |
| Sign in | https://certifyai.me/sign-in |
| Sign up | https://certifyai.me/sign-up |
| API base | https://certifyai.me/api |
| Dynamic sitemap | https://certifyai.me/api/sitemap.xml |
| AI sitemap | https://certifyai.me/ai-sitemap.xml |

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## AI-Readable Files Index

| File | URL | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| `llms.txt` | https://certifyai.me/llms.txt | Concise AI-readable summary |
| `llms-full.txt` | https://certifyai.me/llms-full.txt | Full AI corpus |
| `build-brief.txt` | https://certifyai.me/build-brief.txt | This file — technical brief |
| `faq.md` | https://certifyai.me/faq.md | Q&A for AI + Google rich results |
| `key-people.md` | https://certifyai.me/key-people.md | Team entity data |
| `practice-areas.md` | https://certifyai.me/practice-areas.md | Service/module reference |
| `schema.jsonld` | https://certifyai.me/schema.jsonld | Full Schema.org entity graph |
| `ai-sitemap.xml` | https://certifyai.me/ai-sitemap.xml | AI crawler sitemap |
| `robots.txt` | https://certifyai.me/robots.txt | Crawler permissions |

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## Sister Sites

CertifyAI is part of a network of AI-focused platforms:
- https://ainuby.com — AI partner site with cross-platform SSO integration

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## Contact

**Organization:** CertifyAI
**Website:** https://certifyai.me
**CEO:** Marcus Reed — AI Learning Program Specialist
**CTO:** Dr. Priya Nair — Expert in AI Education Technology
**Lead Engineer:** Jordan Blake — Lead AI Curriculum Engineer: Learning Systems Focus