diff --git a/src/components/ProjectCard.tsx b/src/components/ProjectCard.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aed9431
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/ProjectCard.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,203 @@
+import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
+import { ArrowUpRight, GitBranch, Lock, Archive, Globe } from "lucide-react";
+import { formatDistanceToNow } from "date-fns";
+import { de } from "date-fns/locale";
+import BorderGlow from "@/components/BorderGlow";
+import {
+  accentFor,
+  monogram,
+  STATE_LABELS,
+  CATEGORY_LABELS,
+  type LiveProject,
+} from "@/lib/projects";
+
+/** Breite, mit der die eingebettete Seite gerendert und dann herunterskaliert wird */
+const DESIGN_WIDTH = 1280;
+const DESIGN_HEIGHT = 800;
+
+/** Iframe erst laden, wenn die Karte in Sichtweite kommt – 100 Karten sollen den Browser nicht killen. */
+function useInViewport<T extends HTMLElement>(rootMargin = "300px") {
+  const ref = useRef<T>(null);
+  const [inView, setInView] = useState(false);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const el = ref.current;
+    if (!el || inView) return;
+    if (typeof IntersectionObserver === "undefined") {
+      setInView(true);
+      return;
+    }
+    const observer = new IntersectionObserver(
+      (entries) => {
+        if (entries.some((e) => e.isIntersecting)) {
+          setInView(true);
+          observer.disconnect();
+        }
+      },
+      { rootMargin }
+    );
+    observer.observe(el);
+    return () => observer.disconnect();
+  }, [inView, rootMargin]);
+
+  return { ref, inView };
+}
+
+/** Skalierungsfaktor, damit die 1280px-Seite exakt in die Kachel passt */
+function useScaleToWidth<T extends HTMLElement>(designWidth: number) {
+  const ref = useRef<T>(null);
+  const [scale, setScale] = useState(0.25);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const el = ref.current;
+    if (!el) return;
+    const update = () => setScale(el.clientWidth / designWidth);
+    update();
+    if (typeof ResizeObserver === "undefined") {
+      window.addEventListener("resize", update);
+      return () => window.removeEventListener("resize", update);
+    }
+    const observer = new ResizeObserver(update);
+    observer.observe(el);
+    return () => observer.disconnect();
+  }, [designWidth]);
+
+  return { ref, scale };
+}
+
+function relativeDate(iso: string | null): string | null {
+  if (!iso) return null;
+  const date = new Date(iso);
+  if (Number.isNaN(date.getTime())) return null;
+  return formatDistanceToNow(date, { addSuffix: true, locale: de });
+}
+
+const STATE_STYLES: Record<LiveProject["state"], { dot: string; text: string; Icon: typeof Globe }> = {
+  live: { dot: "bg-emerald-400", text: "text-emerald-400", Icon: Globe },
+  online: { dot: "bg-emerald-400", text: "text-emerald-400", Icon: Globe },
+  protected: { dot: "bg-amber-400", text: "text-amber-400", Icon: Lock },
+  hosted: { dot: "bg-sky-400", text: "text-sky-400", Icon: Globe },
+  repo: { dot: "bg-muted-foreground", text: "text-muted-foreground", Icon: GitBranch },
+  archived: { dot: "bg-muted-foreground/60", text: "text-muted-foreground", Icon: Archive },
+};
+
+type Props = { project: LiveProject; cardBg: string };
+
+const ProjectCard = ({ project, cardBg }: Props) => {
+  const { ref: viewRef, inView } = useInViewport<HTMLAnchorElement>();
+  const { ref: frameRef, scale } = useScaleToWidth<HTMLDivElement>(DESIGN_WIDTH);
+  const [frameFailed, setFrameFailed] = useState(false);
+
+  const accent = accentFor(project.repo);
+  const state = STATE_STYLES[project.state];
+  const showFrame = project.embeddable && project.url && inView && !frameFailed;
+  const updated = relativeDate(project.lastCommit?.date ?? project.updatedAt);
+  const linkUrl = project.reachable && project.url ? project.url : project.repoUrl;
+
+  return (
+    <BorderGlow
+      edgeSensitivity={30}
+      glowColor="40 80 80"
+      backgroundColor={cardBg}
+      borderRadius={10}
+      glowRadius={26}
+      glowIntensity={0.7}
+      coneSpread={25}
+      colors={["#c084fc", "#f472b6", "#38bdf8"]}
+    >
+      <a
+        ref={viewRef}
+        href={linkUrl}
+        target="_blank"
+        rel="noopener noreferrer"
+        className="group flex h-full flex-col"
+        aria-label={`${project.name} – ${STATE_LABELS[project.state]}`}
+      >
+        {/* Vorschau: echtes Live-Iframe, sonst Live-Daten-Kachel */}
+        <div
+          ref={frameRef}
+          className="relative aspect-[16/10] w-full overflow-hidden rounded-t-[10px] border-b border-border/60 bg-secondary/30"
+        >
+          {showFrame ? (
+            <iframe
+              src={project.url ?? undefined}
+              title={project.name}
+              loading="lazy"
+              tabIndex={-1}
+              aria-hidden="true"
+              sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin"
+              referrerPolicy="no-referrer"
+              onError={() => setFrameFailed(true)}
+              style={{
+                position: "absolute",
+                top: 0,
+                left: 0,
+                width: DESIGN_WIDTH,
+                height: DESIGN_HEIGHT,
+                border: 0,
+                transform: `scale(${scale})`,
+                transformOrigin: "top left",
+                pointerEvents: "none",
+              }}
+            />
+          ) : (
+            <div
+              className="absolute inset-0 flex items-center justify-center"
+              style={{ background: `linear-gradient(135deg, ${accent.from}, ${accent.to})` }}
+            >
+              <span className="font-display text-5xl font-medium tracking-tight text-background/80 mix-blend-overlay md:text-6xl">
+                {monogram(project.name)}
+              </span>
+            </div>
+          )}
+
+          {/* Status-Badge */}
+          <div className="absolute left-3 top-3 flex items-center gap-2 rounded-full bg-background/85 px-3 py-1 backdrop-blur-sm">
+            <span className={`h-1.5 w-1.5 rounded-full ${state.dot}`} />
+            <span className={`text-[10px] uppercase tracking-wider ${state.text}`}>
+              {STATE_LABELS[project.state]}
+            </span>
+          </div>
+
+          <div className="absolute right-3 top-3 rounded-full bg-background/85 px-3 py-1 text-[10px] uppercase tracking-wider text-muted-foreground backdrop-blur-sm">
+            {CATEGORY_LABELS[project.category]}
+          </div>
+        </div>
+
+        {/* Text */}
+        <div className="flex flex-1 flex-col p-5 md:p-6">
+          <div className="mb-3 flex items-start justify-between gap-3">
+            <h3 className="font-display text-lg font-medium uppercase leading-tight tracking-tight text-foreground transition-colors group-hover:text-muted-foreground md:text-xl">
+              {project.name}
+            </h3>
+            <ArrowUpRight className="mt-0.5 h-5 w-5 shrink-0 text-muted-foreground transition-colors group-hover:text-foreground" />
+          </div>
+
+          {project.description && (
+            <p className="mb-4 line-clamp-2 text-sm leading-relaxed text-muted-foreground">
+              {project.description}
+            </p>
+          )}
+
+          <div className="mt-auto space-y-2 border-t border-border/60 pt-4">
+            <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center gap-x-3 gap-y-1 text-[11px] uppercase tracking-wider text-muted-foreground">
+              <span className="inline-flex items-center gap-1.5">
+                <state.Icon className="h-3 w-3" />
+                {project.repo}
+              </span>
+              {project.language && <span>{project.language}</span>}
+              {updated && <span>{updated}</span>}
+            </div>
+            {project.lastCommit?.message && (
+              <p className="truncate font-mono text-[11px] text-muted-foreground/80">
+                {project.lastCommit.message}
+              </p>
+            )}
+          </div>
+        </div>
+      </a>
+    </BorderGlow>
+  );
+};
+
+export default ProjectCard;
diff --git a/src/components/ProjectShowcase.tsx b/src/components/ProjectShowcase.tsx
index bac783c..adf7a09 100644
--- a/src/components/ProjectShowcase.tsx
+++ b/src/components/ProjectShowcase.tsx
@@ -1,105 +1,219 @@
-import { ArrowUpRight } from "lucide-react";
+import { useMemo, useState } from "react";
+import { useQuery } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 import { useTheme } from "next-themes";
-import BorderGlow from "@/components/BorderGlow";
+import { Search, RefreshCw, AlertCircle } from "lucide-react";
 import { TextHoverEffect } from "@/components/ui/text-hover-effect";
+import ProjectCard from "@/components/ProjectCard";
+import {
+  fetchProjects,
+  CATEGORY_LABELS,
+  CATEGORY_ORDER,
+  type LiveProject,
+  type ProjectCategory,
+} from "@/lib/projects";
 
-type Project = {
-  title: string;
-  description: string;
-  image: string;
-  url: string;
-};
+const PAGE_SIZE = 12;
 
-const projects: Project[] = [
-  {
-    title: "Email Sorter",
-    description: "Automatisierung · E-Mail-Workflows für Teams",
-    image: "/project%20pics/emailsorter.png",
-    url: "https://emailsorter.webklar.com/",
-  },
-  {
-    title: "Neutral",
-    description: "Website · Markenauftritt & Custom Development",
-    image: "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1551288049-bebda4e38f71?w=800&h=600&fit=crop",
-    url: "#",
-  },
-  {
-    title: "Verbatim Labs",
-    description: "Website · UI/UX & individuelle Entwicklung",
-    image: "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1559028012-481c04fa702d?w=800&h=600&fit=crop",
-    url: "#",
-  },
-  {
-    title: "JMK Engineers",
-    description: "Website · Technische Präsentation & Lead-Generierung",
-    image: "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1486312338219-ce68d2c6f44d?w=800&h=600&fit=crop",
-    url: "#",
-  },
-  {
-    title: "GOODZ Club",
-    description: "Website · Mehrsprachig & skalierbare Plattform",
-    image: "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1542744094-3a31f272c490?w=800&h=600&fit=crop",
-    url: "#",
-  },
-];
+type Filter = ProjectCategory | "all";
 
 const ProjectShowcase = () => {
   const { resolvedTheme } = useTheme();
   const cardBg = resolvedTheme === "dark" ? "hsl(0 0% 6%)" : "hsl(0 0% 96%)";
 
+  const [filter, setFilter] = useState<Filter>("all");
+  const [search, setSearch] = useState("");
+  const [visible, setVisible] = useState(PAGE_SIZE);
+
+  const { data, isLoading, isError, isFetching, refetch } = useQuery({
+    queryKey: ["projects"],
+    queryFn: ({ signal }) => fetchProjects(signal),
+    staleTime: 5 * 60 * 1000,
+    refetchOnWindowFocus: false,
+    retry: 1,
+  });
+
+  const projects = data?.projects ?? [];
+
+  const filtered = useMemo(() => {
+    const term = search.trim().toLowerCase();
+    return projects.filter((project) => {
+      if (filter !== "all" && project.category !== filter) return false;
+      if (!term) return true;
+      return (
+        project.name.toLowerCase().includes(term) ||
+        project.repo.toLowerCase().includes(term) ||
+        project.description.toLowerCase().includes(term) ||
+        (project.subdomain ?? "").toLowerCase().includes(term)
+      );
+    });
+  }, [projects, filter, search]);
+
+  const shown = filtered.slice(0, visible);
+
+  const chips: { key: Filter; label: string; count: number }[] = [
+    { key: "all", label: "Alle", count: projects.length },
+    ...CATEGORY_ORDER.filter((c) => (data?.counts?.[c] ?? 0) > 0).map((c) => ({
+      key: c as Filter,
+      label: CATEGORY_LABELS[c],
+      count: data?.counts?.[c] ?? 0,
+    })),
+  ];
+
+  const applyFilter = (key: Filter) => {
+    setFilter(key);
+    setVisible(PAGE_SIZE);
+  };
+
+  const stand = data?.generatedAt
+    ? new Date(data.generatedAt).toLocaleTimeString("de-DE", { hour: "2-digit", minute: "2-digit" })
+    : null;
+
   return (
-    <section id="projects" className="pt-8 pb-24 md:pt-12 md:pb-32 bg-background relative">
-      {/* TextHoverEffect */}
-      <div className="h-[14rem] flex items-center justify-center -mb-4 relative z-10">
+    <section id="projects" className="relative bg-background pb-24 pt-8 md:pb-32 md:pt-12">
+      {/* Überschrift */}
+      <div className="relative z-10 -mb-4 flex h-[14rem] items-center justify-center">
         <TextHoverEffect text="Projekte" />
       </div>
-      <div className="container mx-auto px-6">
 
-        {/* Projects Grid */}
-        <div className="space-y-2">
-          {projects.map((project, index) => (
-            <BorderGlow
-              key={project.title}
-              edgeSensitivity={30}
-              glowColor="40 80 80"
-              backgroundColor={cardBg}
-              borderRadius={8}
-              glowRadius={30}
-              glowIntensity={0.8}
-              coneSpread={25}
-              colors={['#c084fc', '#f472b6', '#38bdf8']}
-            >
-              <a
-                href={project.url}
-                target={project.url.startsWith("http") ? "_blank" : undefined}
-                rel={project.url.startsWith("http") ? "noopener noreferrer" : undefined}
-                className="group block p-6 md:p-8"
-                style={{ animationDelay: `${index * 0.1}s` }}
-              >
-                <div className="flex flex-col md:flex-row md:items-center justify-between gap-4">
-                  <div className="flex-1">
-                    <h3 className="text-2xl md:text-3xl font-display font-medium text-foreground mb-2 group-hover:text-muted-foreground transition-colors uppercase tracking-tight">
-                      {project.title}
-                    </h3>
-                    <p className="text-muted-foreground text-sm uppercase tracking-wider">
-                      {project.description}
-                    </p>
-                  </div>
-                  <div className="flex items-center gap-4">
-                    <div className="w-24 h-16 md:w-32 md:h-20 rounded overflow-hidden opacity-0 group-hover:opacity-100 transition-opacity duration-500">
-                      <img 
-                        src={project.image} 
-                        alt={project.title}
-                        className="w-full h-full object-cover"
-                      />
-                    </div>
-                    <ArrowUpRight className="w-6 h-6 text-muted-foreground group-hover:text-foreground transition-colors" />
-                  </div>
+      <div className="container mx-auto px-6">
+        {/* Live-Status */}
+        <div className="mb-8 flex flex-col gap-4 md:flex-row md:items-end md:justify-between">
+          <div>
+            <div className="label-tag mb-3">Live aus unserem Git</div>
+            <p className="max-w-2xl leading-relaxed text-muted-foreground">
+              Kein gepflegtes Portfolio, sondern der echte Stand: jedes Repository, das gerade auf{" "}
+              <span className="text-foreground">git.webklar.com</span> liegt – inklusive letztem Commit
+              und Hosting-Status. Öffentlich erreichbare Seiten zeigen wir als echte Live-Vorschau.
+            </p>
+          </div>
+          {data && (
+            <div className="shrink-0 text-[11px] uppercase tracking-wider text-muted-foreground md:text-right">
+              <div className="font-display text-3xl font-medium tracking-tight text-foreground">
+                {data.total}
+              </div>
+              <div>Repositories</div>
+              {stand && (
+                <div className="mt-1 inline-flex items-center gap-1.5">
+                  <RefreshCw className={`h-3 w-3 ${isFetching ? "animate-spin" : ""}`} />
+                  Stand {stand} Uhr
                 </div>
-              </a>
-            </BorderGlow>
-          ))}
+              )}
+            </div>
+          )}
         </div>
+
+        {/* Filter + Suche */}
+        {projects.length > 0 && (
+          <div className="mb-8 flex flex-col gap-4 lg:flex-row lg:items-center lg:justify-between">
+            <div className="flex flex-wrap gap-2">
+              {chips.map((chip) => (
+                <button
+                  key={chip.key}
+                  type="button"
+                  onClick={() => applyFilter(chip.key)}
+                  className={`rounded-full border px-4 py-1.5 text-[11px] uppercase tracking-wider transition-colors ${
+                    filter === chip.key
+                      ? "border-foreground bg-foreground text-background"
+                      : "border-border text-muted-foreground hover:border-foreground/40 hover:text-foreground"
+                  }`}
+                >
+                  {chip.label}
+                  <span className="ml-2 opacity-60">{chip.count}</span>
+                </button>
+              ))}
+            </div>
+
+            <div className="relative lg:w-72">
+              <Search className="pointer-events-none absolute left-3 top-1/2 h-4 w-4 -translate-y-1/2 text-muted-foreground" />
+              <input
+                type="search"
+                value={search}
+                onChange={(event) => {
+                  setSearch(event.target.value);
+                  setVisible(PAGE_SIZE);
+                }}
+                placeholder="Projekt oder Repository suchen"
+                className="w-full rounded-full border border-border bg-transparent py-2 pl-9 pr-4 text-sm text-foreground placeholder:text-muted-foreground focus:border-foreground/40 focus:outline-none"
+              />
+            </div>
+          </div>
+        )}
+
+        {/* Ladezustand */}
+        {isLoading && (
+          <div className="grid gap-6 md:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3">
+            {Array.from({ length: 6 }).map((_, index) => (
+              <div
+                key={index}
+                className="animate-pulse overflow-hidden rounded-[10px] border border-border"
+              >
+                <div className="aspect-[16/10] w-full bg-secondary/50" />
+                <div className="space-y-3 p-6">
+                  <div className="h-4 w-2/3 rounded bg-secondary/60" />
+                  <div className="h-3 w-full rounded bg-secondary/40" />
+                  <div className="h-3 w-1/2 rounded bg-secondary/40" />
+                </div>
+              </div>
+            ))}
+          </div>
+        )}
+
+        {/* Fehler */}
+        {isError && (
+          <div className="flex flex-col items-start gap-4 rounded-[10px] border border-border p-8 md:flex-row md:items-center md:justify-between">
+            <div className="flex items-start gap-3">
+              <AlertCircle className="mt-0.5 h-5 w-5 shrink-0 text-muted-foreground" />
+              <div>
+                <p className="mb-1 font-display uppercase tracking-tight text-foreground">
+                  Projekte gerade nicht abrufbar
+                </p>
+                <p className="text-sm text-muted-foreground">
+                  Die Live-Verbindung zu unserem Git antwortet nicht. Schreiben Sie uns – wir zeigen
+                  Ihnen die passenden Referenzen persönlich.
+                </p>
+              </div>
+            </div>
+            <button
+              type="button"
+              onClick={() => refetch()}
+              className="shrink-0 rounded-full border border-border px-5 py-2 text-[11px] uppercase tracking-wider text-muted-foreground transition-colors hover:border-foreground/40 hover:text-foreground"
+            >
+              Erneut versuchen
+            </button>
+          </div>
+        )}
+
+        {/* Karten */}
+        {!isLoading && !isError && (
+          <>
+            <div className="grid gap-6 md:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3">
+              {shown.map((project: LiveProject) => (
+                <ProjectCard key={project.id} project={project} cardBg={cardBg} />
+              ))}
+            </div>
+
+            {filtered.length === 0 && (
+              <p className="py-12 text-center text-sm text-muted-foreground">
+                Kein Projekt gefunden. Andere Kategorie oder Suchbegriff probieren.
+              </p>
+            )}
+
+            {visible < filtered.length && (
+              <div className="mt-10 flex justify-center">
+                <button
+                  type="button"
+                  onClick={() => setVisible((current) => current + PAGE_SIZE)}
+                  className="rounded-full border border-border px-8 py-3 text-[11px] uppercase tracking-wider text-muted-foreground transition-colors hover:border-foreground/40 hover:text-foreground"
+                >
+                  Mehr laden
+                  <span className="ml-2 opacity-60">
+                    {filtered.length - visible} weitere
+                  </span>
+                </button>
+              </div>
+            )}
+          </>
+        )}
       </div>
     </section>
   );
diff --git a/src/lib/projects.ts b/src/lib/projects.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c471649
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/projects.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+/**
+ * Live-Projektdaten für den Abschnitt „Projekte".
+ *
+ * Quelle: GET /api/projects (contact-api-Container) – führt serverseitig alle
+ * Gitea-Repositories mit den Hosting-Metadaten aus Appwrite zusammen.
+ * Im Browser liegen dadurch weder Gitea-Token noch Appwrite-Key.
+ */
+
+export type ProjectCategory = "website" | "preview" | "template" | "app" | "internal" | "test";
+
+/** live = öffentlich + einbettbar, online = öffentlich, protected = hinter Portal-Login */
+export type ProjectState = "live" | "online" | "protected" | "hosted" | "repo" | "archived";
+
+export type LiveProject = {
+  id: string;
+  name: string;
+  repo: string;
+  owner: string;
+  description: string;
+  category: ProjectCategory;
+  state: ProjectState;
+  url: string | null;
+  repoUrl: string;
+  language: string | null;
+  sizeKb: number;
+  updatedAt: string | null;
+  archived: boolean;
+  private: boolean;
+  hosted: boolean;
+  hostingStatus: string | null;
+  subdomain: string | null;
+  embeddable: boolean;
+  reachable: boolean;
+  gated: boolean;
+  lastCommit: { message: string; author: string | null; date: string | null } | null;
+};
+
+export type ProjectsSnapshot = {
+  generatedAt: string;
+  total: number;
+  counts: Partial<Record<ProjectCategory, number>>;
+  embeddable: number;
+  source: string;
+  projects: LiveProject[];
+};
+
+const API_URL = import.meta.env.VITE_PROJECTS_API ?? "/api/projects";
+
+export async function fetchProjects(signal?: AbortSignal): Promise<ProjectsSnapshot> {
+  const res = await fetch(API_URL, { signal, headers: { Accept: "application/json" } });
+  if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Projekte konnten nicht geladen werden (HTTP ${res.status})`);
+  const data = (await res.json()) as ProjectsSnapshot;
+  if (!Array.isArray(data?.projects)) throw new Error("Unerwartete Antwort der Projekt-API");
+  return data;
+}
+
+export const CATEGORY_LABELS: Record<ProjectCategory, string> = {
+  website: "Kundenprojekte",
+  preview: "Kunden-Previews",
+  template: "Vorlagen",
+  app: "Apps & Tools",
+  internal: "Eigene Systeme",
+  test: "Tests",
+};
+
+/** Reihenfolge der Filter-Chips */
+export const CATEGORY_ORDER: ProjectCategory[] = [
+  "website",
+  "preview",
+  "app",
+  "template",
+  "internal",
+  "test",
+];
+
+export const STATE_LABELS: Record<ProjectState, string> = {
+  live: "Live-Vorschau",
+  online: "Öffentlich online",
+  protected: "Login geschützt",
+  hosted: "Gehostet",
+  repo: "Nur Repository",
+  archived: "Archiviert",
+};
+
+/**
+ * Deterministische Akzentfarbe aus dem Repo-Namen – gleiche Kachel behält beim
+ * Neuladen ihre Farbe, ohne dass wir Farben pflegen müssen.
+ */
+export function accentFor(seed: string): { hue: number; from: string; to: string } {
+  let hash = 0;
+  for (let i = 0; i < seed.length; i++) hash = (hash * 31 + seed.charCodeAt(i)) >>> 0;
+  const hue = hash % 360;
+  return {
+    hue,
+    from: `hsl(${hue} 70% 55% / 0.55)`,
+    to: `hsl(${(hue + 48) % 360} 70% 45% / 0.18)`,
+  };
+}
+
+/** Kürzel für die Platzhalter-Kachel (max. 2 Zeichen) */
+export function monogram(name: string): string {
+  const words = name
+    .replace(/[^\p{L}\p{N}\s-]/gu, " ")
+    .split(/[\s-]+/)
+    .filter(Boolean);
+  if (words.length === 0) return "··";
+  if (words.length === 1) return words[0].slice(0, 2).toUpperCase();
+  return (words[0][0] + words[1][0]).toUpperCase();
+}