💡 Where do you get backend project ideas & how do you review them?

[abdullahazmy]

Body

Hey folks! 👋

I'm a backend developer looking to improve by building more practical projects (mainly APIs), but I’m running into a couple of roadblocks:

Where do you usually get your backend project ideas from?
Any websites, platforms, or GitHub repositories you recommend that list realistic API/backend project challenges?

Do you use any tools (like AI assistants or others) to review your code or project after it's done?
I want to make sure I’m learning from mistakes and improving over time.

If the website or source you use provides project ideas, does it also offer the solution or source code?
I’d love to compare my implementation with other possible approaches, but not copy them directly — just for learning purposes.

Side note: I personally avoid YouTube tutorials as I find them time-consuming. I prefer reading, building, and getting feedback.

Would love to hear how others approach this. Feel free to drop links, tools, or even your personal approach 🙏

Thanks in advance!

Guidelines

• I have read and understood this category's guidelines before making this post.

[Condition00]

Hey man 👋

I am a new backend dev. Actually I am aiming for full stack development. I’ve been in the same boat. Wanted to get better by building something nice and valuable.

A few places that actually helped me:

• RealWorld API

• It’s like a spec for building a medium.com clone full of practical stuff like JWT auth, pagination, following users, etc. I treated it like a real freelance project. 😅 as far as ik its named as conduit i think

• Build Your Own X

• Some of the projects are deep (like writing your own Git), but great for learning how things work under the hood. (I would recommend you to go through this one for sure.)

Sometimes I even check out open source projects on GitHub and look at their issues labeled “good first issue” or “feature request” they are really great for finding small but real problems to solve.

now coming to how I review my code,

I don’t have a senior dev to review my stuff, so I usually:

• Use chatgpt or deepseek to review my API design, structure, error handling, etc.

• Use postman or just thunder client for testing my endpoints and catching edge cases.

• oh and also try to write clean commits + docs forces me to think like I’m shipping to real users. (I recommend trying to write docs or blogs because they actually help me retain my knowledge) also I build first, then compare with others’ solutions on GitHub to see how I could improve. I never copy, but it helps to learn different patterns.

Actually I think learning from youtube is nice but if most videos feel too slow or bloated. I’d rather suggest you to read a short doc/blog or just dive into building. If you get stuck, then search specific stuff and move on.

If you ever feel like cross sharing any ideas, I’d genuinely be up for that 🙌

Hope this helps!

[abdullahazmy]

That's really helpful
Thank you!

[PawanKumar-Dev]

Hi there @abdullahazmy

As a backend developer looking to sharpen your skills through practical API projects, here are some resources:

1. practical-tutorials/project-based-learning github repo is great. Many positive reviews by others as well.
2. freeCodeCamp.org: One of my all time fav resource for any project and learning overall. They offer great blogs and in-depth topics. One of the top quality free resource for any developer.

And since you prefer reading, stick to text-based resources like roadmap.sh, Fynd.Academy, and GitHub repos.
Keep coding!!!