feat: add GitHub Sponsors integration — show sponsor badge on leaderboard

[Priyanshu-byte-coder]

Feature Request

Is your feature request related to a problem?
DevTrack has no way to recognize financial contributors who sponsor the project via GitHub Sponsors.

Describe the solution you'd like
Show a special sponsor badge (💎 or ⭐) next to the username of users who are GitHub Sponsors of the DevTrack project on:

• The leaderboard
• Their public profile
• The contributor section of the landing page

Implementation Details

• Query GitHub Sponsors API to get list of sponsors (cached, refreshed daily)
• Store sponsor status in user record: is_sponsor: boolean
• Add sponsor badge component rendered conditionally
• Sponsor badge should have a tooltip: "GitHub Sponsor — thank you for supporting DevTrack!"

Acceptance Criteria

• Sponsor badge visible on leaderboard next to sponsored users
• Badge visible on public profile
• Tooltip on hover
• Sponsor status cached and refreshed daily
• Badge is accessible (screen reader announces "GitHub Sponsor")

Additional context
Recognizing sponsors increases motivation to sponsor and shows appreciation for financial contributors alongside code contributors.

[srinidhi-2006-bit]

Hi @Priyanshu-byte-coder

I’d like to work on this feature under GSSoC’26.

My approach would be to implement a lightweight and accessible sponsor-recognition system that integrates cleanly with the existing leaderboard and profile UI.

Planned implementation:

• fetch and cache sponsor data from the GitHub Sponsors API with scheduled refresh handling

• add is_sponsor support in the user data layer

• create a reusable sponsor badge component with accessible tooltip behavior

• display sponsor badges consistently across:

  • leaderboard
  • public profile
  • contributor section

• ensure proper screen-reader announcements and responsive rendering

I’ll also make sure the caching strategy minimizes unnecessary API calls while keeping sponsor status reasonably up to date.

Please assign this issue to me if it’s available. Thanks!

[Akash1510]

Can u Assign this Enhancement to me

[DHEVIKA]

Hi @Priyanshu-byte-coder 👋
I recently completed and got PR #295 merged in DevTrack under GSSoC’26, and I’d love to contribute to this feature as well.

My approach:

• Integrate GitHub Sponsors API with daily cached refresh
• Add is_sponsor support in the user data layer
• Create a reusable and accessible SponsorBadge component
• Show sponsor badges on leaderboard, public profile, and contributor section
• Add tooltip + screen-reader accessibility support

Since I’m already familiar with the DevTrack codebase from my previous merged contribution, I can implement this cleanly while maintaining consistency with the current UI and architecture.

Please consider assigning this issue to me under GSSoC’26. Thanks!

[Kishalll]

Hi @Priyanshu-byte-coder! I'd like to be assigned to this under GSSoC 2026.
I already have a merged PR #1134 in this repo so I'm well familiar with the codebase.

My approach:

• Add an is_sponsor boolean + sponsor_synced_at timestamp to the users table
• Create src/app/api/sponsors/sync/route.ts using the existing GITHUB_TOKEN env var to query the GitHub Sponsors GraphQL API and upsert sponsor status - triggered daily via Vercel Cron in vercel.json
• Build a small SponsorBadge.tsx with a diamond icon, and label="GitHub Sponsor" for accessibility, and a hover tooltip "GitHub Sponsor — thank you for supporting DevTrack!"
• Render it conditionally on the leaderboard, public profile, and landing page contributor section — zero impact on non-sponsor users

Please assign this to me!

[VIDYANKSHINI]

Hi @Priyanshu-byte-coder,

I’d like to work on this feature under GSSoC 2026.

I have completed my previously assigned issues and currently don’t have any active assignments, so I can fully focus on implementing this feature properly.

Planned implementation:

• Integrate the GitHub Sponsors API with a scheduled daily refresh mechanism

• Add is_sponsor and sync metadata support in the user data layer

• Create a reusable and accessible SponsorBadge component with tooltip support

• Display sponsor badges consistently on:

  • Leaderboard
  • Public profile
  • Landing page contributor section

• Ensure accessibility with proper screen-reader labels such as “GitHub Sponsor”

• Implement caching to avoid unnecessary API calls while keeping sponsor status updated efficiently

I’ll make sure the implementation follows the existing DevTrack UI patterns and remains lightweight, clean, and maintainable.

Please assign this issue to me. Thank you!

[anmolsingh941513]

Hi! I'd love to work on this issue. I'm a GSSoC '26 contributor and I'm familiar with the tech stack involved. I'll go through the requirements carefully and submit a quality PR with proper documentation and testing.

Looking forward to contributing! 🚀

[srinidhi-2006-bit]

/unassign