Hello, welcome to Byte13

Byte13 is an online gaming platform containing a collection of 150 of the top rated games from the yearly entries in the js13kGames competition. The development of Byte13 would not have been possible without the talented developers who dedicate thousands of hours each year into creating high-quality open source games, and js13kGames and their sponsors for hosting their annual competitions.

Thank you for all that you do!

Byte13's Development

Byte13 is a full-stack web application built using Laravel's MVC framework. On the frontend, HTML, CSS/Tailwind, and JavaScript/Alpine are used to deliver a responsive and interactive user experience. Dynamic components like comments, likes, and favorites are powered by Livewire, Laravel's reactive component framework.

On the backend, MySQL serves as the primary database for storing user data, content, and application state. The home, game, and dashboard pages use API-powered client-side rendering to display dynamic content that updates in response to user interactions. User authentication is handled by Laravel Breeze, customized to fit the app's specific user flow and security requirements.

Byte13 is containerized using Docker, ensuring consistent deployments across environments, and is hosted on a DigitalOcean droplet for reliable cloud-based performance. Emails are sent through Mailtrap's SMTP server, handling secure and reliable delivery to users. SSL certificates are automatically obtained and renewed by Certbot, which interacts with Let's Encrypt to ensure secure HTTPS connections without manual intervention.

Personal Notes

Hello, my name is Ayden Hubenak and I am the developer of Byte13. As a recent Computer Information Systems graduate from West Texas A&M University (Go Buffs!!), I decided to build Byte13 to strengthen my portfolio and help lead me into a professional career in web development.

Byte13 was far from a solo effort and wouldn't have been possible without the support of my partner, my parents, and my two dogs (who insisted on quality control by supervising every coding session).

Thank you for always believing in me, supporting me, and keeping this project alive.