IBM Bob Dev Day Hackathon 2026 — Built with IBM Bob
FirstStep helps anyone understand any codebase instantly — from senior developers drowning in legacy code to junior developers just starting out.
Meet Henri, 72, a retired teacher learning to code. He opens his grandson's GitHub project and is completely lost.
Meet Amina, 44, a bakery owner whose developer left behind undocumented code. She has no idea what it does.
Every developer knows this pain too — joining a new team, inheriting old code, or opening someone else's project. It can take days to understand what the code does.
FirstStep solves this in 30 seconds.
Paste any code → Select the language → Get instant AI analysis:
- 📖 Plain English Summary — What does this code actually do?
- 🔍 Components Breakdown — Key functions, classes, and their purpose
- ✅ Suggested Tests — 3 ready-to-use test cases
- 📝 Auto Documentation — Markdown documentation generated instantly
- 📤 Export — Save as PDF or Markdown
- 🌙 Dark/Light Mode — Easy on the eyes
- 🕐 History — All your previous analyses saved locally
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Frontend | React 19 + TypeScript + Vite + Tailwind CSS |
| Backend | Node.js + Express.js |
| AI | Claude (Anthropic API) |
| Database | SQLite |
| Built With | IBM Bob IDE |
firstStep/
├── backend/
│ ├── routes/
│ │ ├── auth.js # Authentication routes
│ │ └── chat.js # Code analysis routes
│ ├── anthropic.js # Claude AI integration
│ ├── constants.js # Configuration
│ ├── database.js # SQLite setup
│ ├── server.js # Main server
│ ├── simple-server.js # Simplified server
│ └── package.json
├── frontend/
│ ├── src/
│ │ ├── components/
│ │ │ ├── Header.tsx
│ │ │ ├── Hero.tsx
│ │ │ ├── CodeInput.tsx
│ │ │ ├── Results.tsx
│ │ │ └── HistorySidebar.tsx
│ │ ├── contexts/
│ │ │ └── ThemeContext.tsx
│ │ ├── services/
│ │ │ └── api.ts
│ │ ├── utils/
│ │ │ └── exportUtils.ts
│ │ ├── App.tsx
│ │ └── types.ts
│ └── package.json
├── .gitignore
├── FRONTEND_GUIDE.md
├── PROJECT_PLAN.md
└── README.md
- Node.js v18+
- Anthropic API key — get one free at console.anthropic.com
Step 1 — Clone the repo:
git clone https://github.com/BAGHERIFarzad/firstStep.git
cd firstStepStep 2 — Setup backend:
cd backend
npm installStep 3 — Create your .env file inside the backend/ folder:
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_key_here
PORT=3001
⚠️ Never commit this file — it's already in.gitignore
Step 4 — Start the backend:
node simple-server.jsStep 5 — Setup frontend (open a new terminal):
cd frontend
npm install
npm run devOpen http://localhost:5173 🎉
IBM Bob was the primary development partner for this entire project:
- ✅ Generated complete backend architecture and all API routes
- ✅ Built entire React frontend with all components
- ✅ Created SQLite database schema and operations
- ✅ Wrote Claude AI integration service
- ✅ Implemented dark/light theme system
- ✅ Built PDF and Markdown export functionality
- ✅ Fixed bugs and suggested improvements throughout
- ✅ Generated all project documentation
See the exported IBM Bob session report in the repository for complete session history.
| Event | IBM Bob Dev Day Hackathon 2026 |
| Theme | Turn idea into impact faster with IBM Bob |
| Deadline | May 3, 2026 — 10:00 AM ET |
Henri — 72 years old, retired teacher, learning to code. Opens complex repositories and feels lost. FirstStep gives him clarity in seconds.
Amina — 44 years old, bakery owner, inherited undocumented code from her developer. FirstStep helps her understand what she owns.
Built with ❤️ using IBM Bob — Your AI-powered development partner