Dev Journal

Behind the code: what we built, how we built it, and what we learned along the way

•12 min read

Tech Stack

Node.jsExpress.jsMongoDBAWS S3EJSJavaScriptVercelVirusTotal API

How I built a full-stack note-sharing platform serving 150+ University of Maryland students, solving real accessibility problems in study material sharing.

Key Highlights

  • ✓150+ active users and 600+ files shared
  • ✓Zero-cost hosting using free tiers (Vercel, MongoDB Atlas, AWS S3)
  • ✓93% reduction in asset size through optimization
  • +2 more highlights...

Lessons Learned

  • 💡Start with the simplest solution that works - EJS over React saved weeks
  • 💡Free tiers can scale surprisingly far with careful architecture
  • +3 more lessons...

Next Steps

Add file preview functionality, study group matching, mobile app development, university expansion, and collaborative an...

•12 min read

Tech Stack

Node.jsExpress.jsMongoDBAWS S3EJSJavaScriptJWTVercelJest

A deep dive into creating an enterprise-grade EDMS with AWS S3, role-based security, and comprehensive API documentation. Learn about the technical decisions, challenges overcome, and lessons learned from building a system that serves real users in production.

Key Highlights

  • ✓Successfully implemented direct S3 uploads to bypass server limitations
  • ✓Built comprehensive role-based access control with three user tiers
  • ✓Created interactive API documentation with OpenAPI/Swagger integration
  • +2 more highlights...

Lessons Learned

  • 💡Direct S3 uploads significantly improve performance and user experience
  • 💡Client-side filtering provides instant feedback and better scalability
  • +3 more lessons...

Next Steps

Phase 1: Rate limiting and audit logging. Phase 2: Real-time monitoring and analytics. Phase 3: File versioning and Elas...

Tech Stack

Next.js 15TypeScriptTailwind CSSReact 19Framer MotionGray MatterZodVercel

A comprehensive look at building a production-ready portfolio website using Next.js 15, TypeScript, and modern web development practices. Learn about our custom content management system, design decisions, and the technical challenges we overcame to create a fast, maintainable, and scalable website.

Key Highlights

  • ✓Built centralized content management system using MDX with Zod validation for type safety
  • ✓Created custom five-color design system for consistent branding across all pages
  • ✓Implemented intelligent navigation system with smart back button using document.referrer
  • +3 more highlights...

Lessons Learned

  • 💡Centralized content management eliminates hardcoded data and makes updates seamless across all pages
  • 💡Custom design systems with CSS variables provide consistency and easier maintenance than utility-first approaches alone
  • +4 more lessons...

Next Steps

Phase 1: Add dark mode toggle with persistent user preferences. Phase 2: Implement advanced filtering and search for pro...

•5 min read

Tech Stack

ReactD3.jsPythonFastAPIPostgreSQLWebSocket

An interactive stock market visualization and simulation game where users can explore hypothetical scenarios and their potential impact on financial markets.

•5 min read

Tech Stack

PythonOpenAI GPTElevenLabsD-IDFastAPIReact

An innovative AI-powered news platform that generates daily news broadcasts using artificial intelligence for speech synthesis and video production.

•5 min read

Tech Stack

PythonOpenAI GPTReactNode.jsWebSocketMongoDB

An immersive text-based adventure game powered by AI that generates dynamic storylines and responds to user choices, creating unique narratives every playthrough.

•5 min read

Tech Stack

PythonDiscord.pyOpenAI WhisperGPT-4PostgreSQLWebSocket

An intelligent Discord bot that joins voice calls to provide real-time transcription, summarization, and actionable insights from meetings and conversations.