3 Ways to Use the Cloud in Your Hackathon Project for Beginner Coders

Building a project at a hackathon for the first time within a short period is already intimidating. So, when the majority of TechTogether hackers tell me integrating the cloud into their project isn’t something they even considered — I totally understand.

However, for those who want to try out something new and level up their coding skills, I want you all to know that using the cloud in your hackathon project isn’t as hard as you might think.

Below are a few ways to integrate the cloud in your next project, with examples and resources for each.

1. Host a Website or Web Application on the Cloud

You’re exhausted, and you feel a bit burned out by the end of the hackathon. Your team of first-time hackers has put all their energy into your HTML/CSS website, and you’re ready to hit submit on Devpost.

But, what if you could take one extra quick step to level up your website? A step that would make your project eligible to win more prizes.

Your team can host your project on the cloud, like Microsoft Azure, in under 30 minutes. What is web hosting? Web hosting is a service that allows organizations and individuals to post a website or web page onto the Internet (Source: Website.com).

Not only do you get entered to win more prizes, but you also get to add new skills and platforms to your resume.

The best part? We will show you step by step how to host your website on Microsoft Azure if you reach out to a mentor at a TechTogether hackathon — no more getting stuck on tutorials. We are here to help.

Resources & Tutorials

• Host a Web Application with Azure App Service.
• Create a Content Delivery Network for your Website with Azure CDN and Blob Services.

Hackathon Project Example

• SafePlace, is a community connecting domestic violence survivors with volunteers offering assistance with the “mental load” tasks associated with making a safe exit. Their website is built with HTML, CSS, and Javascript. The fourm was built using React and leverages Azure Static Web Apps, Azure Functions, and Azure Cosmos DB for a serverless API.

2. Use the Cloud to Access Machine Learning API’s

So, this isn’t your first hackathon, and you’re ready to level up your hackathon project. You want to create a more advanced hackathon project, and you need some tools to bring your vision to life.

Well, you’re in the right place. Cloud API’s, like Microsoft Azure, allows you to use machine learning for things like:

• Transcribing audio and video files
• Reading text from documents
• Detecting faces, emotions, and objects in pictures

Need help selecting an API to use? Get stuck getting your API setup? Connect with a mentor at a hackathon. This is the benefit of building a project during an event rather than on your own!

You can take a risk, get stuck — and have 50 mentors waiting on stand-by to help you get back on track whenever you need it.

Resources & Tutorials

• What is an API? In English, please.
• Analyze Images with the Computer Vision Service.
• Create a Clustering Model with Azure Machine Learning designer.

Hackathon Project Example

• Iris gives visually impaired people the opportunity to code. Thanks to the downloadable keyboard configuration and voice feedback feature, Iris allows the user to hear what they type. They used Azure cognitive services to add text to speech functionality.

3. Store and Analyze Data on the Cloud

So, you’re bored of building websites and you’ve decided to do some data management or analytics for your hackathon project.

Several cloud tools like Microsoft’s Azure Databricks can help you create quick visualizations or dashboards.

By using these powerful analytics tools, you can build more advanced visualizations that will definitely put you in the running for some hackathon trophies.

Hackathon Project Example

• ShareEats is a social platform to recommend good eats and share your food wish list. The project uses a Node.js server with a separate MySQL server from scratch and is deployed partly onto Microsoft Azure.

Additional Resources

👩‍💻 Visit Microsoft Learn for Students, a free library of interactive training modules where you can build skills across all levels, technologies, and interests. Try out an Introduction to Python or build a simple website using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to get started.

🧑‍🎓 Create your free Azure for Students account to get $100 in Azure credit, try professional developer tools, and access even more resources.

👩‍💻 Want to compete in a TechTogether hackathon and enter our cloud challenges? Check out our upcoming hackathons here.