EdTech · Admission prep
Privatian: admission prep platform
Privatian helps students in Bangladesh get admission into private universities by selling online courses and content. I founded it in 2022, and I built and run the whole web app myself, from the database up.
Key numbers
- ~10,000Courses and content sold
- 2022Live since
- SoloBuilt and run by me
Overview
An admission prep business I founded and engineer
I founded Privatian in 2022 to help students get admission into private universities in Bangladesh. It sells online courses and content for admission preparation, and around 10,000 courses and pieces of content have been sold through it so far.
I am the founder and the lead engineer. I built the whole web app on my own and I manage everything, from the database up. Privatian first ran on WordPress; I rebuilt it as a custom application with Next.js on the frontend, an Express backend on Node.js, PostgreSQL for data and Redis for caching. Students pay with bKash.
Product tour
A walk through Privatian
Screens from the live site, from the storefront to the student dashboard.
01Storefront
Course storefront
Live batches and combo bundles, each with its instructor, guided hours, price and discount.
02Exams
Exam batches
Exam batches let students test their progress with model tests that come with detailed solutions.
03Books
Printed books
Privatian also sells physical products: admission-prep books delivered to doorsteps across Bangladesh.
04Course page
Course landing page
Each course has its own page with the price, an add-to-cart button, the batch type and guided hours, the devices it works on and a student support line.
05Curriculum
Curriculum and free demo classes
The curriculum lists every module and its lectures, with free demo classes that anyone can watch before buying.
06Live classes
Live classes on any device
The lesson player keeps the course outline beside the video, with previous and next controls. Students watch on phones, tablets and computers.
07Dashboard
Student dashboard
Courses, course materials, assignments, the class routine, the exam library and history, quiz attempts, orders and devices, all in one place.
08Behind the scenes
Automation, teacher tools and device control
The parts students don't see, but that keep the platform running.
- Buying a course automatically gives the student every class in that course's routine. Classes run on Google Meet, and students are added to them in the Google Meet calendar, so they join without asking for permission and outsiders can't get in.
- Teachers share materials and resources, run quizzes, update routines and give assignments, like Google Classroom.
- Device management stops piracy: Privatian builds a device fingerprint and tracks device IDs, so students can't abuse the device limit.
What it does
What Privatian does
Admission-prep courses
Online courses, live batches and exam batches for admission into private universities in Bangladesh, paid for with bKash.
Live classes on any device
Students watch live classes and lessons on phones, tablets and computers.
Printed books
Also sells physical products: admission-prep books delivered to doorsteps across Bangladesh.
Automatic class enrolment
When a student buys a course, they get access to every class in its routine. Classes run on Google Meet, and the student is added to each one in the Google Meet calendar, so they can join with no permission requests, and people who haven't enrolled can't join.
Teacher tools
Teachers share materials and resources, run quizzes, update routines and give assignments, like Google Classroom.
Device fingerprinting
Teachers manage students' devices. A device fingerprint and device-ID tracking stop piracy and keep the device limit from being abused.
My role
Founded, built and run by me
Founded it
Started Privatian in 2022 and have run it since.
Built the whole web app
Built the entire application alone, from the storefront and live classes to the student dashboard: the Next.js frontend, the Express backend and the PostgreSQL database, with Redis for caching.
Rebuilt it off WordPress
Replaced the original WordPress site with the custom Next.js, Express, PostgreSQL and Redis stack.
Automated enrolment and built teacher tools
Automated enrolment so buying a course adds the student to every class in its routine on the Google Meet calendar, and built Google Classroom-style tools for teachers: materials, quizzes, routines and assignments.
Stopped piracy with device fingerprinting
Built device management on a device fingerprint and device-ID tracking, so teachers can manage students' devices and the device limit can't be abused.
Run everything
Manage the platform end to end, from the database up, including the printed books Privatian sells alongside its courses.
The rebuild
From WordPress to a custom stack
Before
- Ran on WordPress
After
- Next.js frontend
- Express backend on Node.js
- PostgreSQL database
- Redis caching
Stack
Stack
- Frontend
- Next.js
- Backend
- Node.js
- Express
- Data
- PostgreSQL
- Redis
- Payments
- bKash
Questions?
Want the details behind this build?
I'm happy to walk through the architecture, the trade-offs and the code. Email me or find me on LinkedIn.