Stop Building Todo Apps: What I Learned Shipping a Real Side Project as a Junior Dev
5 honest lessons from building KhozAI, my first real side project shipped end-to-end, and why your day job and side projects compound each other.
Projects
KhozAI
Side project exploring AI-driven practice tooling for guitarists. Rule-based MVP that generates personalized routines from level, time available and weak areas. LLM integration on the roadmap. Built to learn how to ship a real product end-to-end.
Next.js
React
TypeScript
Supabase
PostgreSQL
Electric Guitar E-Commerce
Enterprise e-commerce platform for electric guitars built with Spring Boot, featuring JWT authentication, product catalog, shopping cart, order state machines, and an admin dashboard with sales analytics.
Java 21
Spring Boot
React
PostgreSQL
Docker
Band & Rehearsal Manager
Fullstack app for musicians to manage bands, schedule rehearsals, track attendance and organize their song repertoire with a kanban-style setlist board.
React
TypeScript
ASP.NET Core
SQL Server
AI Chat Assistant
Fullstack AI chatbot with real-time streaming responses, multi-conversation management, JWT authentication, and markdown rendering. Powered by Groq API and OpenAI.
React
TypeScript
Python
FastAPI
Groq API
Proximidad App
LinkedIn-inspired professional networking platform built as a team project, designed with improved UX and features to better connect users with job opportunities.
Python
Django
React
PostgreSQL
Microservices Architecture
Designed and implemented a distributed microservices architecture with an API Gateway, independent services using MySQL and MongoDB, and a React frontend consuming the unified API.
Node.js
Express.js
MongoDB
MySQL