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Cover image for "Stop Building Todo Apps. Build These Instead."
Devraj Singh
Devraj Singh

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"Stop Building Todo Apps. Build These Instead."

#javascript #webdev #programming #beginners

"Every interviewer has seen 500 todo apps. Yours is not special. But here's what actually makes them stop scrolling."

Let me be brutally honest with you for a second. 👇

You just finished a React tutorial. You're feeling good. You built a todo app.

You add it to your resume. You add it to your GitHub. You apply to jobs.

Crickets. 🦗

No callbacks. No interviews. Nothing.

And you're sitting there wondering — "what am I doing wrong?"

I'll tell you exactly what's wrong. Your todo app is invisible. 😶

Every single person applying for the same job as you also built a todo app. It's the first project every tutorial teaches. It's the most cloned repo on GitHub. Recruiters see it and mentally move on before they even read your name.

But here's the good news — you're one project away from standing out. 🚀

This post gives you that project. Actually, it gives you 7. Let's go. 👇

😬 Why Todo Apps Are Killing Your Chances

Quick reality check. A todo app shows:

  • ✅ You can follow a tutorial
  • ✅ You understand basic state
  • ❌ You can't solve a real problem
  • ❌ You've never built something someone actually uses
  • ❌ You have zero creativity

That last one hurts. But it's what recruiters think. 😬

The projects that get you hired show one thing above everything else — that you can identify a problem and build a solution for it. That's it. That's the whole game.

Todo apps don't do that. These 7 projects do. 👇

🔥 Project 1: AI Resume Reviewer

Why it slaps: Every student is stressed about their resume. You build a tool that fixes that. Instant relatability. Instant usefulness. 💥

What it does:

  • User pastes their resume text
  • AI analyzes it and gives feedback
  • Shows what's missing, what's weak, what's strong

Tech stack: Next.js + OpenAI API + Tailwind

// The core logic — simpler than you think 🤯
const response = await fetch('/api/review', {
  method: 'POST',
  body: JSON.stringify({ resume: userInput }),
})

// Your API route
const completion = await openai.chat.completions.create({
  model: 'gpt-4o',
  messages: [{
    role: 'user',
    content: `Review this resume and give specific feedback: ${resume}`
  }]
})
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Why interviewers love it: AI integration + real use case + deployed product. Three checkboxes in one project. 🎯

💡 Pro tip: Add a "Score out of 100" feature. People love scores — they'll share it with friends. Free traffic for your project. 📈

🔥 Project 2: Dev Job Tracker

Why it slaps: You're applying to jobs. Other devs are applying to jobs. Everyone needs this. Build it for yourself, show it to everyone. 💪

What it does:

  • Add jobs you've applied to
  • Track status (Applied → Interview → Offer → Rejected 💀)
  • Set reminders for follow-ups
  • Dashboard showing your stats

Tech stack: Next.js + Supabase (free database) + Tailwind

// Supabase insert — dead simple 🙌
const { data, error } = await supabase
  .from('applications')
  .insert({
    company: 'Google',
    role: 'Frontend Dev',
    status: 'applied',
    applied_date: new Date()
  })
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Why interviewers love it: You built a tool you actually use. That story in an interview? Gold. 🥇

💡 Pro tip: Add a chart showing applications over time. Recharts + 20 lines of code = looks professional af. 📊

🔥 Project 3: GitHub Profile Analyzer

Why it slaps: Every dev wants to know how their GitHub looks to recruiters. Build the tool that tells them. 😏

What it does:

  • User enters any GitHub username
  • Fetches their repos, commits, languages
  • Gives a "Recruiter Score" with breakdown
  • Shows what to improve

Tech stack: React + GitHub API (free) + Chart.js

// GitHub API — completely free, no auth needed for basic data 🆓
const res = await fetch(`https://api.github.com/users/${username}/repos`)
const repos = await res.json()

const languages = repos.map(r => r.language).filter(Boolean)
const stars = repos.reduce((sum, r) => sum + r.stargazers_count, 0)
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Why interviewers love it: You used a real public API. You built something people will actually use and share. Virality potential is real. 🔥

💡 Pro tip: Make it shareable — "My GitHub score is 73/100, what's yours?" — people will tag friends. Free followers. 🎉

🔥 Project 4: Leetcode Habit Tracker

Why it slaps: Every dev doing interview prep wants to track their consistency. You feel this pain. Build the solution. 🧠

What it does:

  • Log problems solved daily
  • Streak counter (like Duolingo 🔥)
  • Category breakdown (Arrays, DP, Trees)
  • Weekly report card

Tech stack: Next.js + localStorage or Supabase + Tailwind

// Streak logic — satisfying to build 😄
const calculateStreak = (dates) => {
  let streak = 0
  let current = new Date()

  for (let i = 0; i < dates.length; i++) {
    const diff = daysBetween(current, dates[i])
    if (diff <= 1) { streak++; current = dates[i] }
    else break
  }
  return streak
}
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Why interviewers love it: Shows you understand gamification, UX thinking, and you're actually grinding DSA. Double points. 🎯

🔥 Project 5: Dev Tools Price Comparator

Why it slaps: Every developer pays for tools. Nobody knows if they're getting ripped off. You build the tool that answers that. 💰

What it does:

  • Compare pricing of popular dev tools (Vercel, Supabase, Railway, etc.)
  • Filter by use case, budget, team size
  • "Best for students" category 🎓

Tech stack: Next.js + static JSON data + Tailwind

// No complex backend needed — just smart data 🧠
const tools = [
  {
    name: 'Vercel',
    free_tier: true,
    price_pro: 20,
    best_for: ['frontend', 'nextjs', 'students'],
    rating: 4.8
  },
  // ... more tools
]

const filtered = tools.filter(t => 
  t.best_for.includes(selectedCategory) && 
  t.price_pro <= budget
)
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Why interviewers love it: No tutorial shows this. It's original. You thought of it yourself. That's rare. 🌟

🔥 Project 6: Code Snippet Manager

Why it slaps: Every dev has that one snippet they Google every single time. Build the app that saves it once and finds it in 2 seconds. 🔍

What it does:

  • Save code snippets with tags
  • Search by language, tag, or keyword
  • Syntax highlighting
  • One-click copy

Tech stack: Next.js + Supabase + Prism.js (syntax highlighting)

// Search across snippets — feels magical when it works ✨
const results = snippets.filter(s => 
  s.title.toLowerCase().includes(query) ||
  s.tags.some(tag => tag.includes(query)) ||
  s.language.includes(query)
)
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Why interviewers love it: You built a developer tool for developers. You understand your users because you ARE the user. 🎯

💡 Pro tip: Add public snippets people can browse. Community feature = 10x more interesting to talk about. 🌐

🔥 Project 7: Fake Data Generator

Why it slaps: Every dev building an app needs fake data for testing. It's painful. You fix it. 😌

What it does:

  • Generate fake users, products, addresses, emails
  • Choose how many records (10, 100, 1000)
  • Download as JSON or CSV
  • Custom field builder

Tech stack: React + Faker.js library + Tailwind

// Faker.js — this library is insane 🤯
import { faker } from '@faker-js/faker'

const generateUsers = (count) => {
  return Array.from({ length: count }, () => ({
    id: faker.string.uuid(),
    name: faker.person.fullName(),
    email: faker.internet.email(),
    avatar: faker.image.avatar(),
    company: faker.company.name(),
    joinDate: faker.date.past().toISOString()
  }))
}
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Why interviewers love it: Utility tool with real developer use case. Shows you think about other developers' problems. Senior dev mindset. 🧠

📊 Quick Comparison

Project Difficulty Wow Factor Hireable?
🤖 AI Resume Reviewer Medium ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 100% YES
📋 Job Tracker Easy ⭐⭐⭐⭐ YES
🐙 GitHub Analyzer Medium ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 100% YES
🔥 Leetcode Tracker Easy ⭐⭐⭐⭐ YES
💰 Price Comparator Easy ⭐⭐⭐ YES
📎 Snippet Manager Medium ⭐⭐⭐⭐ YES
🎲 Data Generator Easy ⭐⭐⭐⭐ YES
✅ Todo App Very Easy ⭐ NO

🎯 The Rule That Changes Everything

Here's the one question to ask before starting any project:

"Would I actually use this?" 🤔

If yes → build it. Deploy it. Put it on your resume.

If no → it's a tutorial project. It won't impress anyone.

The best portfolio projects solve a problem YOU have. Because when an interviewer asks "why did you build this?" — your answer isn't "because a tutorial told me to."

Your answer is: "Because I needed it and nothing else did exactly what I wanted." 💪

That answer? Unforgettable. 🌟

🚀 Your Action Plan

  1. 👆 Pick ONE project from this list right now
  2. 🛠️ Start today — not tomorrow, not Monday. Today.
  3. 🌐 Deploy it on Vercel before it's "finished"
  4. 📝 Write a proper README with screenshots
  5. 🔗 Add the live link to your resume AND LinkedIn
  6. 💬 Write a Dev.to post about building it — meta but it works 😄

💬 Your Turn!

Which project are you building first? 👇 Drop it in the comments — I'll personally give feedback on your idea! 🙌

And if you're still thinking "but my todo app was really good" — it wasn't bhai. It really wasn't. 😂

Drop a ❤️ if this helped — helps more developers find this before they waste another month on the wrong project! 🙏

You've got this. Now go build something real. 🔥

🔖 P.S. — Bookmark this post. Next time you're stuck on what to build, come back here. Future you will be grateful.

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