diff --git a/src/App.js b/src/App.js
index e6fa053..d944a7f 100644
--- a/src/App.js
+++ b/src/App.js
@@ -73,7 +73,6 @@ class App extends React.Component {
   }
   handleSubmit(e) {
     e.preventDefault()
-    console.log('Search term: ', this.state.search)
     this.setState({ search: '' })
   }
 
@@ -81,7 +80,8 @@ class App extends React.Component {
     e.preventDefault()
     const newTask = {
       desc: this.state.newTask,
-      projectName: this.state.selectedProject,
+      projectName: this.state.projects.find(p => p.id === this.state.selectedProjectId)['name'],
+      // TODO
       // the backend expects projectName because it creates the project on the fly if none exists with that name
       // this feature comes at the price that there can't be two independent projects with the same name
       // which could be handy if users want to have private projects
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ class App extends React.Component {
         console.log('Received malformed data for added task: ', data)
       }
     } catch (e) {
-      alert('Failed to add task: ', e)
+      alert(`Failed to add task: ${e}`)
     }
   }
   async deleteTask(id) {
@@ -122,23 +122,48 @@ class App extends React.Component {
       alert('Failed to delete task: ', e)
     }
   }
-  completeTask(id) {
-    const otherTasks = this.state.tasks.filter(t => t.id !== id)
-    const completedTask = this.state.tasks.find(t => t.id === id)
-    completedTask.completed = !completedTask.completed
-    console.log(completedTask)
-    this.setState({ tasks: otherTasks.concat(completedTask) })
+  async completeTask(id) {
+    const task = this.state.tasks.find(t => t.id === id)
+    if (!task.id) {
+      alert(`Couldn't find task with id ${id}`)
+      return
+    }
+    try {
+      task.completed = !task.completed
+      const { data, error } = await axios.put(api + `/api/tasks/${task.id}`, task)
+      if (error) {
+        alert(`Received error when completing task ${task.desc}: ${error}`)
+      } else if (data.id) {
+        const otherTasks = this.state.tasks.filter(t => t.id !== id)
+        this.setState({ tasks: otherTasks.concat(data) })
+        console.log(`Completed task:`, data)
+      } else {
+        alert(`Failed to complete task with id ${id}`)
+      }
+    } catch (e) {
+      alert(`Failed to complete task ${task.desc}: ${e}`)
+    }
   }
 
-  createProject(e) {
+  async createProject(e) {
     e.preventDefault()
-    this.setState({
-      projects: this.state.projects.concat({
-        id: this.state.projects.length,
-        name: this.state.newProject,
-      }),
-      newProject: '',
-    })
+    const project = { name: this.state.newProject }
+    try {
+      const { data, error } = await axios.post(api + '/api/projects', project)
+      if (error) {
+        alert(`Received error when creating project ${project.name}: ${error}`)
+      } else if (data.id) {
+        this.setState({
+          projects: this.state.projects.concat(data),
+          newProject: '',
+        })
+        console.log(`Added project: `, data)
+      } else {
+        alert(`Failed to add project '${project}'.`)
+      }
+    } catch (e) {
+      alert(`Failed to add project '${this.state.newProject}'.`)
+    }
   }
 
   selectProject(selectedProjectId) {
@@ -146,9 +171,34 @@ class App extends React.Component {
     this.navigate('project')
   }
   async deleteProject(id) {
-    //this.setState({ projects: this.state.projects.filter(p => p.id !== id) })
-    await axios.post(`/api/projects/${id}/delete`)
-    // TODO: some delete success function
+    const project = this.state.projects.find(p => p.id === id)
+    if (!project.id) {
+      alert(`Could not find project with id ${id}.`)
+      return
+    }
+    const tasks = this.state.tasks.filter(t => t.projectId === project.id)
+    if (tasks.length > 0) {
+      if (window.confirm(`Project ${project.name} has ${tasks.length} tasks. Are you sure?`)) {
+        this.setState({ tasks: this.state.tasks.filter(t => t.projectId !== project.id) })
+        console.log(`Removed ${tasks.length} tasks of project '${project.name}'.`)
+      } else {
+        return
+      }
+    }
+    try {
+      const { data, error } = await axios.post(api + `/api/projects/${project.id}/delete`)
+      if (error) {
+        alert(`Received error when deleting project ${project.name}: ${error}`)
+      } else if (data.name) {
+        console.log('Deleted project:', data)
+        this.setState({ projects: this.state.projects.filter(p => p.id !== project.id) })
+        this.navigate('projects')
+      } else {
+        alert(`Failed to delete project '${project.name}'.`)
+      }
+    } catch (e) {
+      alert(`Failed to delete project '${project.name}': ${e}`)
+    }
   }
 
   renderLoading() {
@@ -182,6 +232,7 @@ class App extends React.Component {
         addTask={this.addTask}
         completeTask={this.completeTask}
         deleteTask={this.deleteTask}
+        navigate={this.navigate}
         {...this.state}
       />
     )
@@ -205,13 +256,18 @@ class App extends React.Component {
     )
   }
   render() {
-    console.log(this.state)
-    const completed = this.state.tasks.filter(task => task.completed === true)
-    const filtered = this.state.tasks.filter(
-      task =>
-        task.completed !== true &&
-        this.state.search === task.desc.slice(0, this.state.search.length),
-    )
+    //console.log(this.state)
+    // TODO refactor task filtering
+    const completed =
+      (this.state.tasks && this.state.tasks.filter(task => task.completed === true)) || []
+    const filtered =
+      (this.state.tasks &&
+        this.state.tasks.filter(
+          task =>
+            task.completed !== true &&
+            this.state.search === task.desc.slice(0, this.state.search.length),
+        )) ||
+      []
 
     const renderComponent = () =>
       this.state.loading
diff --git a/src/components/add-task.js b/src/components/add-task.js
index 8445512..0e1e7f8 100644
--- a/src/components/add-task.js
+++ b/src/components/add-task.js
@@ -11,22 +11,29 @@ function FilterTask(props) {
           value={props.newTask}
           onChange={props.handleChange}
         />
-        {props.component === 'project' ? null : (
+        {props.component === 'project' ? (
+          ''
+        ) : (
           <select
             className="form-control custom-select col"
-            name="selectedProject"
-            value={props.project.name}
+            name="selectedProjectId"
+            value={props.selectedProjectId}
             onChange={props.handleChange}
-            >
-	    <option value='' defaultValue>select project</option>
-            {props.projects.map(p => (
-              <option key={p.id} value={p.name}>
-                {p.name}
-              </option>
-            ))}
+          >
+            <option value="" defaultValue>
+              select project
+            </option>
+            {props.projects &&
+              props.projects.map(p => (
+                <option key={p.id} value={p.id}>
+                  {p.name}
+                </option>
+              ))}
           </select>
         )}
-      <button className="form-control col-sm-1 btn" type="submit" onClick={props.addTask}>Add</button>
+        <button className="form-control col-sm-1 btn" type="submit" onClick={props.addTask}>
+          Add
+        </button>
       </form>
     </li>
   )
diff --git a/src/components/project.js b/src/components/project.js
index 8e5eda7..0b5aec6 100644
--- a/src/components/project.js
+++ b/src/components/project.js
@@ -2,20 +2,23 @@ import React from 'react'
 import Tasks from './tasks'
 
 function Project(props) {
+  if (!props.selectedProjectId) {
+    props.navigate('projects')
+    return null
+  }
+  // TODO re-fetch project list if no project name is found instead of setting 'Default'
   const projectName =
-    props.projects.find(p => p.id === props.selectedProjectId).name || 'Default'
-  const filtered = props.tasks.filter(
-    t => t.projectId === props.selectedProjectId && !t.completed
-  )
+    props.projects.find(p => p.id === props.selectedProjectId)['name'] || 'Default'
+
+  const filtered = props.tasks.filter(t => t.projectId === props.selectedProjectId && !t.completed)
   const completed = props.tasks.filter(
-    t =>
-      (t.projectId === props.selectedProjectId && t.completed === true) || null
+    t => (t.projectId === props.selectedProjectId && t.completed === true) || null,
   )
 
   return (
     <div>
       <h2>{projectName}</h2>
-      <Tasks {...props} filtered={filtered} completed={completed} />
+      <Tasks filtered={filtered} completed={completed} {...props} />
     </div>
   )
 }
diff --git a/src/components/projects.js b/src/components/projects.js
index 6eb72f6..d548304 100644
--- a/src/components/projects.js
+++ b/src/components/projects.js
@@ -1,26 +1,22 @@
 import React from 'react'
 
 function Projects(props) {
-  console.log('PROJECTS PROPS', props)
   return (
     <div>
       <h3 className="mt-4">Projects</h3>
       <ul className="list-group">
-        {props.projects.map(project => (
-          <li className="list-group-item" key={project.id}>
-            <button
-              className="btn btn-outline-danger mr-1"
-              onClick={() => props.deleteProject(project.id)}
-            >
-              X
-            </button>
-            {props.selectedProjectId ? null : (
-              <span onClick={() => props.selectProject(project.id)}>
-                {project.name}{' '}
-              </span>
-            )}
-          </li>
-        ))}
+        {props.projects &&
+          props.projects.map(project => (
+            <li className="list-group-item" key={project.id}>
+              <button
+                className="btn btn-outline-danger mr-1"
+                onClick={() => props.deleteProject(project.id)}
+              >
+                X
+              </button>
+              <span onClick={() => props.selectProject(project.id)}>{project.name} </span>
+            </li>
+          ))}
         <form className="" onSubmit={props.createProject}>
           <input
             className="form-control input-sm"
diff --git a/src/components/task-row.js b/src/components/task-row.js
index b5e3926..cd6eaee 100644
--- a/src/components/task-row.js
+++ b/src/components/task-row.js
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ const TaskRow = props => {
       </button>
 
       <span>{task.desc}</span>
-      {props.selectedProjectId ? null : (
+      {props.component === 'project' ? null : (
         <button
           className="btn btn-outline-dark ml-5"
           onClick={() => props.selectProject(task.projectId)}
diff --git a/src/components/tasks.js b/src/components/tasks.js
index 53ea440..f0c5649 100644
--- a/src/components/tasks.js
+++ b/src/components/tasks.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import FilterTask from './filter-task'
 import TaskList from './task-list'
 
 function Tasks(props) {
-  const { tasks } = props
+  const tasks = props.tasks || []
   const filtered = props.filtered || []
   const completed = props.completed || []